Bella Swan's Zombie Survival Guide
by Bellarella
Summary: Zombies have taken over the world and Bella Swan has a plan, too bad her ex-boyfriend Edward has the exact same plan. Now Bella has to learn the hard way that what doesn't kill you, will probably try again.
1. Here's Your Future

**Here's Your Future**

**Disclaimer: I like to sneak in at night and play in Stephanie Meyer's sandbox but her characters will never truly be mine, you have been warned. Today's song is Here's Your Future by The Thermals.**

"_I repeat, residents are advised not to leave their homes. The CDC and the United States government have declared a state of emergency during this mysterious outbreak but assure us that the situation has been contained and is being properly dealt with. Nevertheless, the mandatory seven o'clock curfew for all non emergency personal is still in effect at this time…"_

"Would you stop watching that crap?" A whiney voice pleaded as the television blinked off in the middle of a broadcast.

Bella Swan slowly turned her irritated gaze toward her bitchy baby sister Alice. "Oh I'm sorry," she replied, her voice dripping with acidic, biting, sarcasm. "Please, forgive me if I'm in any way upsetting you by trying to stay informed about what's going on in the world."

Alice let out an irritated huff as she uncrossed her legs and readjusted her stylishly layered clothing. "Whatever, I don't see why you're so interested in this junk. You heard the reporter. The outbreak is contained, no big deal. It's just like the swine flu a couple years ago, all hype."

Bella rolled her eyes. "It wasn't all hype Alice, people died."

"Yeah, foreign people. This is America in case you forgot and stuff like that doesn't happen here."

"Are you stupid," Bella snapped, "well yeah you are but really Alice? What does living in America have to do with anything? We don't have super immunity just because we live here. You know its people like you who are the reason the rest of the world hates us."

"Well - well," Alice stuttered searching in vain for a smart retort for her sister and failing miserably."You look like shit, it's no wonder you don't have a boyfriend."

"Ouch," Bella mocked while exaggeratedly clasping her hands to her chest, "you wound me deeply. However will I find the strength to carry on living?"

"Alright, cut your shit," their older brother Emmett's baritone voice interrupted from where his large form lay sprawled out upon the family's couch. "Alice, turn the TV back on, Bella's right, this shit is important," Bella let stuck out her tongue in triumph, "and Bella, go take a shower or do something. Alice is right, you do look like shit."

While it was well past noon, Bella had neglected to dress for the day, choosing instead to lounge about in her old tatty sweat pants and a holey Ramones' t-shirt. She saw very little reason to put much effort into her looks on a normal day, plain was plain no matter what you did to it, and knowing that she would be locked inside all day did nothing to inspire her to put on the Ritz, instead she had opted for comfort.

Bella's face immediately settled into a sour scowl in response to Emmett's blunt comment but surprisingly, she didn't argue with her bear of a brother's demands, instead she chose to mumble darkly under her breath while her siblings laughed at her expense. She momentarily struggled to peel herself off the loveseat she had become so attached to before clumsily climbing upstairs to the bathroom.

Once there, Bella she the door on her siblings' laughter and turned on the water before undressing. With a sigh, she released her thick mahogany hair from its perpetual pony tail. When the water was warm enough to fill the small room with steam and fog up the large mirror, sparing Bella from further reflections upon her plainness, she stepped carefully into the heated stream and urged her muscles to relax.

The past few days had been stressful. Some sort of new virus had begun quickly infecting community after community across the United States and the Swan children had been confined to the house. Their father, Charlie was a police officer and had been tapped earlier that morning to travel south and assist the authorities with a situation taking place in Tucson. Their mother, Renee, had died from complications after giving birth to Alice twenty-two years before, leaving the Swan children to interact without a neutral buffer for the first time since Bella had all but disowned Alice several years earlier. The stress of the unwelcome sibling bonding time and worry about the mystery virus was driving Bella mad.

There was very limited information being released to the public about the illness and Bella couldn't help but worry that it was perhaps worse than they were letting on. Sure Alice had a point about the Swine flu scare, as well as the Bird Flu and SARS hysteria years before but something felt different this time, more ominous.

Bella shook her head as she finished rinsing the last of the soap from her body. It was probably just her imagination running away with her again. She had always had an overactive imagination and during her childhood it had often caused more harm than good, contributing to a number of irrational fears, some of which she was still secretly working to overcome.

As the water began to run cold, Bella turned off the faucet before stepping carefully out of the shower. She wasn't known as the creator of the Swan Dive for nothing. After toweling off, she donned a set of more "desirable" clothing. Of course Alice would never approve of Bella's worn blue jeans and fitted western shirt but she couldn't find it in her to care, it was clean and comfortable and that's all that mattered.

Once she finished dressing, Bella turned to leave the confines of the humid bathroom when her cell phone began to vibrate from within her back pocket. A quick glance at the screen told her it was her friend Ben calling from Tucson.

"Hey Be…"

She was immediately interrupted by Ben's strained and urgent tone. "Bella I need you to listen to me, don't ask questions, just listen because I don't know how much time I have," her friend whispered urgently into the phone. "You need to pack up and get out of Phoenix, do you hear me Bells? Pack all the provisions you can in your truck and get out of the city, now!"

Bella inspected her nearly nonexistent frown lines before answering. "Ben, what the fudge man? What the heck are you talking about, I need to load up my truck and get out of Phoenix? Did you and your med school buddies get into the nitrous oxide?" Bella asked slightly amused as she continued to poke and prod at her flawless face.

"No, I didn't!" Ben replied indignantly, "Never mind. You have to listen to me Bella! This virus or whatever the hell it is, is so much worse than the government is letting on. It's already spreading through Tucson and it'll reach you before tomorrow night. You need to get out while you still can!"

"Ben I really don't think some kind of flu or whatever it is, is something to freak out about like this. We've been staying inside and taking all the necessary…" She never got to finish her sentence before she was interrupted by the words that would irrevocably change her life forever.

"Bella," Ben interrupted somberly, "it's the big day."

"What do you mean the… Oh hell no! Stop screwing with me Ben!" Bella exclaimed angrily. "This shit isn't funny anymore. I know we joked about it a lot and came up with elaborate plans but that shit just isn't possible…" Bella trailed of uncertainly. Even as she said the words they felt wrong in her mouth, Ben had never taken a joke this far before, why would he start now?

Ben's voice rose an octave and Bella couldn't suppress the chill that ran sown her spine in response to her friend's outlandish claims, "Bells, I swear on all that's holy. I'm not fucking with you. I wish I was, god I wish I was," Ben cried uncharacteristically into the phone.

By now Bella's knees had given out as the realization of what Ben was saying sunk in and she had collapsed into a heap upon the cool tile floor. "But the news said," she whispered without any conviction in her voice as she clutched her stomach.

"Fuck what the news said!" Ben shouted passionately. "Don't listen to that shit, they don't know any more than the rest of us! I know they said the government is dealing with the outbreak but Bella, I can see the National Guard from here and they're not helping. They've set up blockades around the city and are shooting at anything that moves and Bella, everything is moving," he whispered.

"Oh my god," Bella replied quietly while putting her head between her knees in an attempt not to be sick. "You're still trapped in the city?"

Ben was silent for a moment allowing Bella to hear for the first time the unholy screams and sounds of gunfire echoing in the distance. "Yeah," Ben admitted quietly, "I am. I was working at the hospital when the first victims were brought in and in a matter of hours the whole place was overrun and now, even if I somehow made it out of the building, there's no way out."

"Ben," Bella sobbed loudly into the phone as she clutched it to her ear like a lifeline, desperate to reach through space and drag her friend through to safety. "You have to try, you can't give up! There must be a way!"

"It's too late for me Bells," Ben admitted, crying openly into the phone now. "I was bitten just before I managed to barricade myself in this supply closet."

"No," Bella choked out in defeat before scrambling to deposit the pepperoni Hot Pocket she had eaten for lunch in the toilet.

Over the sounds of her vomiting, Bella could hear Ben's strained voice. "There's nothing you, or anyone else can do for me now but I need you to stay safe Bella, get your family out of Phoenix and follow the plan."

Sitting down Bella wiped her mouth "Like hell I will." She replied stubbornly. "I'm coming for you Ben, we'll figure this out. There must be someone I can talk to or Charlie could…"

"No Bella, you're not," Ben declared with more force in his voice than Bella had heard in all the years they had known each other. "I've been bitten. There is no hope of me making it out of here alive and you would never get to me before the door gives way anyway. But don't worry, I managed to pull the gun off the body of a dead cop after the world went to hell. It only has one bullet left and I plan to put it to good use. I won't be joining the rest of the unfortunate souls in their fate."

"Ben," Bella choked out weakly as she began to dry heave into the toilet once again.

"Just promise me, promise me Bella," Ben pleaded his voice thick with emotion. "Promise you'll follow the plan. I can't bear to go, knowing that I wasn't able to save anyone."

Bella closed her eyes before whimpering, "I promise."

"That's my girl," Ben wheezed, his voice growing fainter and more strangled. "I have to go now Bells it's almost time. Stay safe and remember, I love you B."

"I love you too Ben," Bella whispered sincerely before the line went dead.

The sudden silence over the line was startling as Ben Chaney, Bella Swan's friend and confidant since the first day of third grade, ended the call and moments later, his life.

I

I

I

_So while I'm still slowly but surely working on The World Spins Madly On, I had a stroke of genius in the middle of my genetics class and couldn't help but right it down rather than pay attention. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my over active imagination and let me know what you think!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	2. I Don't Believe You

**I Don't Believe You**

**Today's song is I Don't Believe You by the Thermals**

The shock of the phone call left Bella immobile upon her bathroom floor. There was no doubt in her mind that Ben had been telling the truth or that he was now gone forever. The thought caused a strangled cry to rip through her throat, alerting Emmett to her distress.

The pounding of his heavy footsteps could be heard coming rapidly up the stairs before Emmett tentatively knocked on the wooden door, unsure of what was taking place on the other side. Growing up with two younger sisters had made him wary of all tears and closed doors.

"Bells?" He asked sounding unsure of himself. "Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself again?"

Clutching her chest with one arm, Bella wiped away the tears streaming freely down her face and reached for a tissue to blow her runny nose. "No," she choked out in a garbled voice before the tears began again.

"No you're not alright or no you're not hurt?" Emmett asked anxiously he shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the other and back again.

"B-both," Bella stuttered between sobs.

Her answer gave Emmett enough reason to begin jiggling the locked doorknob. "Bella can you open the door for me?" He pleaded worried. Even when Bella hurt herself, which was often, she almost never cried. "Otherwise I'm going to have to break it down and I really don't want to do that, Charlie will be pissed."

With a pathetic sniffle, Bella managed to drag her body close enough to the door to unlock it. As soon as he heard the tumbler click, Emmett threw the door open and stepped into the room, praying silently that she hadn't done something stupid like falling out of the shower. He didn't know if he could handle seeing his grown sister naked, again.

Emmett let out a relieved breath he was unaware he had been holding when he saw that Bella was in fact fully dressed. 'Thank god for small favors' the thought before crouching concernedly by her side.

"Are you hurt Bells?" he asked as he scanned her body for any obvious signs of trauma. She was a mess, with wet hair, puffy red eyes, and snot flowing freely but other than that she didn't appear to be hurt.

Sniffling Bella shook her head while staring into the pair of kind chocolate eyes that were so similar to her own. Unlike Alice, Emmett was easily identifiable as her sibling. They shared the same eyes and wavy brown hair that they had inherited from their father and Bella had always found it comforting. For some reason it had always made her feel closer to her brother.

"Alright," Emmett said slowly, unsure of what to do now. "Well, uh what's wrong?"

Instead of an answer he was met with more hysterical crying. Deciding he was in way over his head he decided to take Bella to the one person he knew who was fluent in hysterical females, Alice. Crouching down he hoisted the much smaller body of Bella into his muscular arms and quickly made his way downstairs to where Alice was repainting her nails as the news continued playing in the background.

"Al, I need your help," he stated nodding his head toward Bella's shaking form.

Instead of jumping up immediately to help like he felt she should. Alice just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to applying another top coat. "Why, did she trip over air and hurt herself again?" She asked in a bored tone.

"I don't know," he huffed in frustration. "You know I don't do well with tears. I have no idea what's wrong, that's why I need your help."

Alice furrowed her brow as she blew gently on her wet nails. "Why do you need my help?"

"Because," Emmett answered as he lowered Bella gently onto the couch and untangled her fingers from where they had been clutching at his shirt before turning to face Alice, "you're a girl and I don't know anyone who has been hysterical nearly as many times as you."

"Uh really Em?" Alice snorted. "I seem to remember someone being quite a cry baby when they were younger. I do believe it was you, not me, who used to cry at the dinner table anytime you didn't get the pretty fork or felt that we were looking at you mean."

Narrowing his eyes and folding his arms Emmett came to stand before her. "Although I will swear on my deathbed that none of those things ever happened, this isn't about us," he gestured between the two of them. "This is about her," he said while pointing toward Bella who was now shaking nearly silently on the couch as her eyes stared off into space, "I need your help. I've never seen her like this, well not since… you know never mind. I just need your help."

"Fine," Alice snapped as she screwed the top back on her nail polish and rose from her spot on the floor. "But you owe me."

Seeing his chance to avoid possible girl talk, Emmett spun on his heel and exited the room with a speed and grace that would normally be unexpected for someone of his size.

With a shake of her coifed head, Alice rolled her eyes as Emmett's antics before settling herself next to a now silent Bella.

"Emmett's worried about you," Alice stated. "What's wrong Bella? You never cry."

"He's dead," Bella whispered stoically while staring off into the middle space at nothing in particular causing Alice to feel incredibly uneasy. "Ben is dead. They killed him so he had to kill himself."

Alice's bright blue eyes grew wide at her sister's admission. "What are you talking about Bella?" She demanded urgently. "What do you mean Ben is dead? You're not making any sense."

Bella seemed to snap back to reality at that moment as she struggled to focus her eyes on those of her sister. "We have to get out of here, Alice," she said determinedly. "We have to get out of Phoenix or we'll be next!"

"What the… what the hell are you going on about? Did you hit your head Bella?"

"No!" Bella shouted angrily, her heartache quickly being pushed aside by desperation and resolution. "We have to leave, Phoenix isn't safe. The virus is almost here and we need to leave while we still can."

Alice relaxed slightly, used to her sister's overreacting. "Not this again, Bella we're fine where we are. It's just a stupid virus, just like all the other times. As long as we stay in the house-"

"No, you don't understand," Bella interrupted as she jumped to her feet and began darting around the room, throwing seemingly random objects into a rapidly growing pile. "It's no normal virus. Ben called to warn me, to warn us before it's too late. It's turning people Alice, making them into monsters."

"Alright that's it. Emmett!" Alice shouted up the stairs, "Bella has hit her head. We need to get her to the hospital."

"Jesus, not again," came the muffled grown from a room on the next floor.

Momentarily pausing her search, Bella spun around angrily to face her smaller sister. "I did not hit my head," she hissed. "I'm telling the truth. Ben called to warn me just before he had to kill himself to stop from becoming one of them."

"What do you mean one of them?" Emmett's concerned voice asked from where he was leaning against the doorframe.

"I mean it's the big day Em," Bella explained taking a step forward, urging him to believe her. "It's something I never really thought would happen, I mean we talked about it, a lot, but now it's actually happening and –"

Bella continued to babble as she once again began searching through their cabinets and throwing canned goods upon the rapidly growing pile.

"Oh no," Emmett groaned in exasperation before throwing himself heavily into their father's recliner. He had realized what she was talking about and didn't relish spending the next few hours in the Emergency Room waiting for her to get a CAT scan.

"Alice, go grab a book or something to do," he ordered while beginning to rub circles on his temples in an effort to relieve some of the tension he was experiencing. "I have a feeling we're going to be at the hospital for awhile. Bella seems to think this is the beginning of the zombie apocalypse."

Alice didn't even try to hold in the loud guffaw she let loose. "OMG!" She squealed in delight. "That's a new one! I can't wait to post that on my Facebook status, I'm sure to get tons of comments!" she scrambled for her phone and began typing furiously upon the unfortunate device.

Overhearing the conversation Bella slowed her movements, desperate to convince her only siblings that she was in fact not crazy and telling the truth. Of course she couldn't really be mad at them. If she were in their shoes she would probably not believe her either. Hell she hadn't believed Ben at first but then… It was best not to dwell on that any longer. She had cried out her hurt as much and as quickly as possible and though she knew there would be many more pain filled moments in her future she also knew that if she didn't convince her brother and sister that this threat was real than there would undoubtedly be far less moments, pain filled or otherwise, in her future.

"Em," she pleaded, coming to stand before her brother. "I need you to trust me on this. I know you got into our talks about this, you know the signs, tell me you can say one-hundred percent without a shadow of a doubt that you don't believe me, that you think I'm crazy."

"Bells you know I don't think you're crazy."

"I do," Alice piped up.

"But you don't believe me," Bella stated, ignoring her sister's unhelpful comment.

"Ah come on B, you have to admit you sound nuts."

"Of course it sounds nuts!" Bella shouted passionately. "How could it not? But look at the signs Em. The mysterious illness, the lack of information, the way the government is being all hush, hush. What else could it be?" she demanded. "Ben called me to warn us. They have already taken over Tucson and it's only a matter of time before it gets here and a big city like this is the worst place we could be!"

"That's enough!" Emmett shouted as he shot up from his chair. "There is no such thing as zombies Bella! You've obviously hit your head and are experiencing delusions so Alice and I are going to-"

The sound of Alice's phone ringing interrupted his impassioned speech.

"Hi Dad," Alice trilled happily into the phone before the smile slid off of her face and she held the phone away from her ear. "He wants to talk to you," she said in a shaky voice as she passed the phone to Emmett.

"Yeah Dad?" Emmett grunted. He was silent for a few moments, the frown on his normally jovial face becoming deeper and deeper. "Yes sir, I understand sir. I won't let you down. I love you too."

With a heavy high he pushed end on the phone as he sank heavily back down into the chair, his need to take Bella to the hospital entirely forgotten.

Chewing on her bottom lip nervously, Bella and Alice exchanged a worried look before Bella tentatively placed her hand on her giant of a brother's broad shoulder. "Em?" she asked.

Emmett let out a slow breath before rubbing his eyes and rising to his feet. "That was Charlie," he explained as he tried to convey his apology to a worried Bella with his expressive eyes, "it turns out Bella isn't completely crazy. This illness is creating zombies. Charlie's on his way home now. We have to get out of here while we still can. "

"No."

"What?" Emmett and Bella turned their shocked faces toward Alice's defiant form.

"No. I don't believe you and I'm not going anywhere. Obviously you two are trying to mess with me, just like you did when we were younger and now you've gone and gotten Charlie in on your little joke. Well I don't think it's funny at all and I refuse to be the butt of your sick joke." She spat before turning and marching her way upstairs after silently flipping them both the double bird.

"Well that went well," Bella stated dryly after they felt the house shake slightly from the force of a door being slammed shut.

"You think?" Emmett asked.

"Eh," she replied nonchalantly, "it couldn't really have gone much worse so I guess that's good."

"Whatever, she'll come around eventually," Emmett said with an equally nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Now what do we get first?" He asked, clapping his large hands together. "Food or weapons?"

Exchanging a brief nearly identical smirk both Swans answered at the same time, "weapons."

II  
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II 

_I hope you like the story so far. I'm really playing off of my own family dynamic as a template for this story so it's very OOC but I hope you enjoy it. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think so far._

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	3. Trust

**Trust**

**Today's song is Trust by Old Canes. **

The eldest Swan children flitted around like people possessed and perhaps in some ways they were, possessed by the desire to survive and the fear of the approaching unknown.

Being an avid hunter and worshipper of his police officer father, Emmett had taken it upon himself to properly pack the cache of weapons he had managed to gather in the few hours since Charlie's life changing phone call. He possessed a near encyclopedic knowledge of not only most common handguns and rifles as well as crossbows and hunting knives but also how to properly use and maintain said weapons yet still felt unprepared for the unknown foe he was sure to face. He had a hard time keeping calm as he discreetly loaded the family's small arsenal into the back of his oversized Jeep.

Ever since his mother's death decades before, Emmett had taken on the role as his sisters' protector whenever his father wasn't around, and such a pressing amount of responsibility for his family's wellbeing was weighing heavily upon his broad shoulders. He was used to dealing with overzealous boys and the like but nothing had prepared him to protect them from hordes of the undead.

There was nothing he wanted more than to throw his two sisters into the back of his car and drive as fast and far from this madness as possible but that wasn't an option. He had to think about the future and his family's continued survival. Even if they managed to escape the approaching hordes, they couldn't outrun starvation. Thankfully, he had Bella and her eerily detailed survival plan to keep him focused.

As soon as the siblings had made the decision to collect weapons first, Bella had turned and sprinted toward her bedroom stumbling twice on the way but managing to stay upright before she flung open her door and began tearing through her mess.

Confused by his sister's behavior, Emmett had quickly but warily followed her clumsy from. Peering inside the one room into which he dared not go, he was forced to duck out of the way quickly as a large genetics textbook came flying toward him followed by a pair of worn out cross trainers and a small garden gnome statue.

"Um Bells?" he said as he tried to catch her attention before stepping carefully into the disaster area. He was answered with a muffled 'wa?' as Bella dove deeper under her bed. "Uh yeah, I thought we decided weapons first and unless Charlie changed his rules, I'm pretty sure even you don't have anything like that in here."

Bella specialized in the random as demonstrated by the vast garden gnome collection littering the floor and shelves as well as the hodgepodge assortment of strange photographs covering the walls but storing weapons beneath her bed just wasn't her MO.

A small hand waved him off as its owner wriggled around beneath the bed. After a few more moments a red faced Bella emerged and began waving a dog eared notebook above her head triumphantly. "Found it!" she exclaimed excitedly bouncing toward him.

Emmett let out an amused snort. "A notebook?" he asked in disbelief. "What are you going to do, paper cut them to death?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "No idiot, this notebook is going to keep our asses alive. This, my dear brother, is my zombie survival plan," she explained with an air of pride and superiority as she stroked the black cover reverently.

"You- you actually wrote it down?" he sputtered in disbelief as he snatched it from her hands and began flipping quickly through the pages. "Geez Bells, obsessive much?" he asked as he passed pages of detailed strategies and sketches. "Is this what you've been wasting all your time on since…" he wisely trailed off before finishing his sentence. There was no point in opening that can of worms right now, or ever.

Snatching the precious collection of information back from Emmett's oversized hands, Bella brushed past him on her way toward the door. "I'm not obsessive, I just like to be prepared." She replied indignantly. "Besides, this 'waste of time' is going to keep our asses alive and out of danger. Now let's get ready before Charlie gets here."

She strode quickly back into the living room, plopped down upon the couch and flipped to the first section of her book.

After laying it down upon the ancient coffee table she jabbed her finger at something on the first page. "I've included a list of everything we'll need. Now while things like flame throwers and swords sound cool, they're heavy and impractical so we'll need to stick with lighter weapons that will keep us as far away from the zombies a possible."

Peering over her shoulder, Emmett was shocked to discover how comprehensive her list was. She had a laundry list of weapons as well as what type and how much ammo each needed. She had even included a section on what maintenance items were needed. He let out a low whistle. Even with his weapons background, he never would have remembered to pack up the tools necessary to clean and repair his guns.

"I was thinking," she said distracting him from his perusal of her zombie survival manifesto. "It would be best if you were the one to get the weapons together. The people at the gun shop know you and Charlie are hunters and won't find anything strange about you picking up new guns and ammo. If I went with you it might draw attention. Besides, while you're there it will give me time to head to the nearest sporting goods store as well as the grocery store in order to load up on survival equipment and dry goods. We're going to need to pack the essentials yet keep things light because…"

Emmett zoned out a bit as he stared in amazement at a very animated Bella with a sense of shock. He hadn't seen her so animated in years and while the circumstances were far, far from ideal, he couldn't help the sense of relief he felt as he watched her come back to life. Ever since he, Emmett didn't even like to think that bastard's name, had left, Bella had walked around like a zombie herself. The irony that zombies were apparently what were needed to snap Bella out of her zombielike state and bring her back to life was not lost on him.

"… so extra socks would be good." Bella finished before snapping the notebook shut and turning her chocolate brown eyes toward his. "Any questions?"

"Oh so very, very many," Emmett admitted with a nod of his head. "But I'll save them for a time when we aren't trying to outrun the undead. For now let me see that list so we can get the hell out of Dodge as soon as Charlie shows."

That was a few hours ago, now Emmett found himself trying to pack as many rounds of ammunition safely and within arms distance in his Jeep. Bella had even figured out which of their vehicles to take with them. She had tried to explain her reasoning to him but he had told her that he trusted her and began following her directions. They would be taking his Jeep and her old truck. Charlie's sedan and Alice's sports car would be left behind since, while both got better gas mileage, both the truck and Jeep had four wheel drive and could take a severe beating if necessary.

"Ugh," Bella's muffled moan floated up from beneath the Jeep where she was performing an impromptu oil change. "This shit is gross. Em you have to take better care of you car," she chastised.

Emmett just rolled his eyes and chose not to comment as he thought back to the toxic mess she called a room. He might be the hunter in the family, but much to his dismay Bella was a much better mechanic than he would ever be. It was just one of the many skills she had chosen to acquire over the past few years. Now he couldn't help but wonder if it had been merely a distraction or if it had been in preparation of incredibly unlikely predicament they now found themselves in.

After a few more grunts, an oil stained Bella rolled out from beneath the car and after wiping her greasy hands haphazardly on the dish towel she had thought to grab, ambled over to check his progress. "Looks good Em," she said with an approving nod toward his cache of weapons and supplies. "We'll of course have to resupply regularly but this should get us over the border and set up for the short term."

"We're going to Mexico?" Emmett asked in disbelief. "Isn't that toward Tucson, where we know the zombies are? I thought you had this all planned out?"

"No Em. Not Mexico, New Mexico," Bella replied in a tone that left no room to speculate on what she thought of his intelligence level at the moment. "We're going to Acoma Pueblo. Didn't you read the plan?" Bella chastised while struggling to tie down the large tarp over her truck bed currently holding the majority of their survival provisions.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry," Emmett answered sarcastically with a roll of his eyes before gently knocking Bella's small frame out of his way and cinching the straps tightly with a grunt. "I was a little busy. You know, trying to avoid the zombie apocalypse and all."

"Don't be such a dick." Bella snapped with a huff and a cutting glare. "There is no place better for us to set up camp. I would explain why this place is so perfect for us but since you're obviously far too busy to listen to me, you'll just have see it when we get there. Trust me, it's a good location."

"Alright," Emmett conceded too tired to waste time arguing about something so stupid, especially since Bella had apparently researched and planned every minute detail. "I'll take your word for it since you seem to have put a lot of thought into this," he gestured to the outfitted cars before them before continuing. "Speaking of which we're going to be having a long conversation about just why you've put so much thought into this but we'll worry about that later. Right now we've got to wait for Charlie and somehow convince Alice we're not fucking with her and get her into the car before those things get here and we're trapped in the city."

With a tired sigh, Bella's shoulders sank as she glanced toward the window from which their younger sister had been watching them for the past few hours. As soon as her tired eyes made contact with a pair of angry blue ones, the filmy pink curtains snapped firmly back into place, cutting them off.

"On second thought," Emmett said with a sigh, "let's just let Charlie handle that one when he gets here," Emmett jerked his thumb toward the house. "Right now I'm going to pack some clothes for Charlie and me. I would suggest you do the same but I have a feeling you did that long ago." Bella blushed but nodded in agreement, too embarrassed to make any sort of snarky comeback.

Following her brother's retreating form back into the silent house Bella mumbled something about making a phone call before dashing back into her room and slamming the door leaving Emmett shaking his head in disbelief before retreating toward his own room to pack for an unknown trip and an indeterminate amount of time. So long as Bella wasn't trying to get in touch with that asshole of an ex-boyfriend of hers, he didn't feel the need to question her actions.

Now where to start? He thought as he looked around his slightly more organized room. After a few seconds of indecision, his eyes landed on the locked box beneath his bed and he moved eagerly toward the small metal treasure chest. Porn, yes porn and probably lots of it would be important if he was going to survive this shit fest long term.

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I hoped you liked the chapter, I plan on writing lots of short quick chapters for this story rather than very many long drawn out ones. To answer some questions, yes most if not all, of the Twilight characters will make an appearance eventually but you'll have to be patient since I've spread them out somewhat. In the mean time, please leave me a review and let me know what you think!

XOXO,

Bellarella


	4. Balboa

**Balboa**

**Today's song is Balboa by Cruiserweight.**

The sound of their father's squad car pulling into the gravel driveway drew both of the elder Swan children from their soon to be vacated rooms at different speeds.

Emmett threw the door of his room open so quickly that it dented the wall and cracked the plaster but he took no notice as he raced downstairs, his precious porn stash tucked securely beneath his arm. He figured if anyone asked he would just claim it was more bullets or some shit like that.

Bella on the other hand took her time, pausing to survey the space she had called her own for so many years. This room was the last place she remembered seeing her mother's smiling face just before Charlie drove her to the hospital to have Alice. It was also the scene of her first kiss and the haven within which she had cried herself to sleep every night for months over her first real heartbreak.

Leaving the only home she had ever known would be sad but staying wasn't an option. Bella had considered how to properly defend the house many times but each time she had come to the conclusion. It would be suicide to remain in place. Sure, they knew every hiding place and the lay of the land but still there were too many disadvantages. Not only were there too many windows downstairs, the house was also located within a large city, a terrible place to be during a zombie invasion. So with a heavy heart she flipped off her light switch, even now conscious about conserving energy, before gingerly walking past Alice's closed door and toward her lifelong arch-nemesis, the stairs.

Once safely at the bottom of the stairs of death, she was met by the grim faces of her father and brother. Not usually one for open displays of affection, Charlie Swan took his children by surprise when he pulled them into a sudden hug. After releasing the shocked pair there was an uncomfortable moment of darting eyes and moustache twitching before Emmett couldn't take it anymore and broke the tension with a well timed fart.

"Oh Jesus, Emmett!" Bella scolded as she slapped her hands over her face and fled the house.

"Nice one son," Charlie coughed before he too fled back outside after Bella.

With the unfamiliarly tender moment behind them, Bella and Emmett led Charlie around as he inspected their handiwork. Emmett explained that Bella had organized everything and after flipping through Bella's extensive notebook, Charlie let out an impressed whistle.

"I didn't know you had it in ya Bells. I must say, I'm impressed. It would seem you've thought of just about everything. I would ask why you have this but frankly, it just doesn't matter anymore." He said sadly. "We need to get out of here while we still can and our window is closing fast. I saw what was happening in Tucson and once we got word that some of the infected had made it out of the city before they turned, I hightailed it outta there. Wasn't doing any good anyway, they multiply faster than roaches and have begun to overrun the blockades. Anyway, the military was about to abandon the city and move north last I heard."

"How much time do you figure we have?" Emmett asked, his tone betraying the sense of panic he had been trying so hard to keep under control.

"Few hours, tops." Charlie replied with a sniff. "It'd be best if we left now. I could get us through the curfew patrols with my credentials but why risk it? I'd like to leave before dark, just need to figure out where we're goin'."

Emmett shook his head. "No need for that Pops. Seems little Bellybutton has really thought of everything. She has a location set in mind as well as routes, alternative routes, and yet more alternatives all lined up."

Charlie's brow furrowed as he stared down at his oldest daughter. "That true Bells?"

Embarrassed, Bella refused to meet her father's gaze and chose instead to focus on the sidewalk crack plants that had begun to sprout along the slabs of their driveway. "Ye- yeah, it is," she mumbled as an intense blush colored her cheeks.

"Well I'm proud of you kid," Charlie praised as he ruffled her hair. "Alright, if we're all ready, let's get out of here while we still can," he said as he looked around, suddenly noticing he was missing a child. "Where's your sister?"

Emmett and Bella exchanged a loaded gaze, silently arguing about who would be the one to inform their father about why Alice wasn't with the rest of the family. After a few seconds of intense threatening looks and silent threats, Bella lost the battle.

"Alice is being, difficult," she explained judiciously.

"What do you mean she's being difficult?" Charlie asked in disbelief. "Didn't you tell her what was going on?"

"Well we did," Bella replied, "but she still thinks we're messing with her. She's pissed because she thinks you're in on it with us."

Charlie ran his hand across his face. "Alright but what about after she saw all this?" he asked gesturing to the loaded vehicles. Surely you've never gone to these lengths to mess with your sister." The guilty looks on his children's faces and their refusal to answer his question gave him all the answers he needed. "You didn't," he admonished angrily. "Seriously, how old are you two? Haven't you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf? No one believed him and then he got eaten, ironic isn't it?" he scolded while rubbing his temples in frustration.

Raising three children alone had been no picnic for Charlie, especially after losing Renee so suddenly and while he knew Bella and Emmett had tormented their younger sister for years, he had always thought it was just a bit of sibling hijinks. He had no idea they had taken it so far.

"Now what are we going to do?" Charlie grumbled to himself. "We can't just throw her in the car screaming, someone would surely get suspicious."

"Why not?" Emmett piped up. "We do it all the…" at the enraged look on his father's face and the swift jab in the ribs from his sister, he smartly snapped his mouth shut.

"You idiot!" Bella hissed under her breath.

"Uh yeah," he coughed, "we can't do that."

Choosing to overlook his children's past sins, for the time being, Charlie began to brainstorm his options. He jogged into the house, intent on getting Alice out of the house and into the car without making a scene, leaving Emmett and Bella alone in the driveway once again.

With Charlie gone, Emmett turned to berate Bella for allowing him to accidentally confess their wrongdoings when he was interrupted by a low moan coming from the other side of the fence.

"Uh oh," Emmett chuckled glad for the distraction from all the seriousness. "Sounds like the Copes are at it again." He said with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. "Weird 'cause I thought Mrs. Cope was in Tucson on…" he trailed off as the moan became more of a shriek when its owner emerged from behind a large yucca dividing the two properties and caught sight of the two Swans.

Shelly Cope had always been a large woman who gave off the feeling of being someone's ornery grandmother although she and Mr. Cope had never been able to have children. It wasn't for lack of trying though. Shelly and Marvin Cope were a very active couple who liked to enjoy each other's company regularly, especially outside in their hammock.

Many times over the years, the Swan children had been subjected to the moans and muffled cries of pleasure drifting over the fence and into their yard. After a few summers of ruined barbecues and spoiled swimming parties, they had learned the only way to stop the loving next door was to perform what Emmet had dubbed the cold shower, a perfectly executed triple cannonball that sent a wave of water crashing over the fence and onto the entangled adults on the other side.

As she barreled toward them, eyes rolling and teeth gnashing, Emmett and Bella both wondered if perhaps this wasn't karma's bitch way of getting back at them for all those times they had interrupted her love making with their cheeky antics.

"Mother trucker," Bella whispered as Emmett froze in place, unable to think clearly as he watched death run toward him wearing a house dress and curlers.

Fortunately for the both of them, Bella had been preparing for a situation such as this for years and sprung into action. Scanning her surroundings, she was dismayed to find Emmett had packed all of their weapons, leaving her to scramble for something with which to defend herself. A reflection caught her eye and drew her attention to a pair of old hedge clippers lying abandoned against the side of the house. It would be risky but she was out of options and while she knew Charlie was still wearing his gun, with Emmett practicing his statue impersonation he would never reach them in time.

It took Bella less than two seconds to decide to run for the clippers. Mrs. Cope let lose an unholy scream as she charged after the small brunette. Amazingly, Bella managed to run without tripping once.

Apparently running from the undead does wonders for my coordination, Bella thought dryly as she scooped up the clippers and narrowly dodged the surprisingly agile Mrs. Cope.

"I really hate to do this," said as she back peddled nimbly, "but there is no way I'm going to allow myself to go down on day one!" She grunted as she lunged forward with shears open. "I've worked too damn hard, for too damn long to let, ugh, that, ah, happen!" She ground out as the shears closed around her former neighbor's neck.

A loud scream shook Emmett from his trance before it was intermixed by a strangled gurgle and then, silence. His eyes widened as he surveyed the carnage before him. Not three feet from where he had been rooted to the spot, lay the nearly headless form of Shelly Cope and beside her a blood soaked Bella. He was even shocked when the normally squeamish Bella withdrew the blood spattered shears from around the zombie's neck only to plunge them through the corpse's temple a moment later. He felt his stomach seize violently and turned in time to vomit violently into the gravel.

"You alright Em?" Bella asked nonchalantly as she wiped a glob of gore from her face and threw the shears aside as though they were merely a dirty towel rather than instruments of destruction.

"I-I… and you," he sputtered gesturing wildly back and forth, unable to form a coherent thought.

"I-I, yeah Em," Bella said drolly as she waved her hand dismissively. "I killed a zombie that was going to eat us for dinner. It's only a matter of time before it happens again, best to get used to it now."

"But-but," Emmett still struggled with his words and blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "you hate blood. And you didn't fall." He finished as his mind finally caught up with his mouth. "How did you do that?" He asked in amazement. "You went all Rocky Balboa on her ass! You were just like Alice. I mean not our sister obviously, but you know that bad ass chick from Resident Evil or some shit. Whoa."

Bella just shrugged and stripped off her blood soaked t-shirt revealing an equally blood soaked camisole underneath. The sight made her sigh rather than faint as it normally would have.

"I guess there's no time to be a klutzy hemophobiac when you're fighting zombies," she replied before turning toward the house and the shocked faces of Charlie and Alice.

"Oh. My. God!" Alice screamed before Charlie clamped his hand over her mouth and picked her up as though she weighed nothing.

"Well so much for getting out of here without making a scene," Charlie remarked with a sigh. "You alright Bells? She didn't get you did she?" He asked, a look of terror passing briefly across his face as he considered the very real possibility that he might be forced to murder one of his own children in the coming days in order to protect the others.

"No Dad," Bella assured him as she headed into the house to grab a clean pair of clothes for the final time. "She didn't even touch me. This," she said gesturing to her grisly attire, "is all Mrs. Cope."

"Well that's good," Charlie grunted as he and Emmett loaded a struggling Alice into the cab of Bella's truck. "Now, hurry up and get back out here. We have to get out of here before anymore of our neighbors try to eat us for dinner."

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So two chapters in two days, impressive no? This story is really so much fun to write that it just seems to flow from my finger tips. Let me know what you think. Do you have a zombie survival plan? If so let me know and maybe some of your strategies will make it into the story!

XOXO,

Bellarella


	5. We're All Going To Die

**We're All Going To Die**

**Today's song is We're All Going To Die by Malcolm Middleton.**

Bella bounded down the stairs and out the front door. She didn't bother to lock the door knowing that in the coming days locks would do nothing to deter looters and she hoped that perhaps by leaving the house unlocked it might provide some unfortunate soul with a safe haven, at least of awhile.

Without looking back she jogged confidently toward her truck only to fall flat on her face as soon as she got to the driveway. Apparently her coordination was only present when fighting the undead.

"Freakin' figures," she grumbled as she picked herself up off the cement and tried her best to ignore the loud snorts of laughter that were coming from the direction of her ever concerned father and brother. Humbled she dusted herself off and walked toward the truck noticing on her way that Mrs. Cope's body had vanished.

Noticing her questioning look Charlie explained that he and Emmett had stashed the body back in her house to avoid attracting any more unsavories with the scent of freshly spilled blood. He and Emmett felt there was no imminent threat to the neighborhood as Mrs. Cope had apparently been bitten while on her business trip to Tucson but they felt no need to attract any more danger.

It was quickly decided that Bella would drive the truck with Alice while Charlie and Emmett switched off driving the Jeep. Charlie had been hesitant to leave his squad car behind, claiming it would help get them through any check points but had relented when Emmett had pointed out the off road features of the other cars. Charlie claimed he needed to stay with Emmett in case he needed to pick off any zombies along the way but Bella felt like perhaps neither of them felt like dealing with a hysterical Alice.

Alice had always been a temperamental child, prone to throwing tantrums whenever she didn't get her way. Their grandmother had always said it was because she had never know a mother's love but Emmett and Bella had always suspected that she was naturally just a brat. Bella had only been three when Renee died and Emmett five, yet other than being slightly more mischievous than the other children, they knew they never behaved like their sister. Alice was hyper, easily excitable, and quick to cry, quite unlike her older siblings.

Emmett had always been a natural athlete and big teddy bear, finding humor in all of life's situations he was never one to get angry and spent most of his time working out and playing with his buddies. He was an avid ladies man but never found the need to commit to anything as demonstrated by his rapidly changing job status. By far, Bella was the most serious and studious of the three.

While none of the Swan children would ever be considered stupid, Bella was a closet genius. She could remember the plot of almost every book ever read and had an encyclopedic knowledge of just about everything. Emmett had yet to find a topic about which his little sister could not at least state some sort of fact, no matter how random. While book smart, Bella was also a smart ass anomaly. Most people she encountered were surprised to find that she could razz with the best of them, had a comeback for every occasion, kept a small flask of schnapps in her purse, loved Jane Austen novels, and apparently had an obsession with zombies.

While she had raised hell when she was younger and had at one point almost been sent away to an all girl's school, a bad break up during college had sent her into a severe depression and a self induced seclusion for the past few years. None of her family knew all of the details each had a theory about what had happened and carried a modicum of guilt for the roles they felt they had played in the painful separation. What they didn't know was that Bella herself wasn't really aware of all of the reasons herself as she was too devastated at the time to demand answers from her former lover. It was a topic that was considered taboo within their household and only when she was feeling particularly ballsy and spiteful did Alice dare even hint at the reasons why her sister was alone.

Bella took a deep breath and tried to remain calm as she wrenched open the heavy metal door and was met by the distraught hysterics of her sister. Sure she had been in a similar state earlier that day after she had gotten her phone call from Ben but she had a good reason. Alice was just being painful.

She tried her best to focus on her breathing and ignore her sister's hiccupping sobs as she pulled carefully out of the driveway and toward the entrance of the interstate. They were already out past the mandatory seven o'clock curfew thanks to Alice's hysteria and Mrs. Cope's attempts at cannibalism and while Charlie's badge would get them past the patrols, it was crucial they get out before the military convoys arrived to cordon off the city.

After driving for a half hour, they had just successfully passed through the last security check points. At each one, Charlie flashed his badge fed the bored guards some cock and bull story about a hunting trip, before they waved them through without even checking on the girls in the truck for which Bella was thankful as Alice's tear stained face and pathetic cries would have been hard to explain.

They had just driven out of sight of the checkpoint when Alice chose that moment to begin wailing again, this time at maximum volume. "Oh my god!" she screamed as she turned toward Bella, snot running unchecked down her face and mascara streaming down making her look like a demented clown. "We're going to die! We're all going to die!"

Not only did she continue to chant on and on about their imminent demise, she made the unwise decision to latch on to Bella and began shaking her as she tried to drive the heavily loaded truck. That was the last straw. Stressed out, exhausted, and already on edge, Bella did something she had only ever fantasized about doing for the past twenty-two years. She drew her fist back and cold clocked Alice.

She felt a twinge of remorse when Alice slumped, unconscious, into her seat but that feeling of remorse was short lived as it was quickly replaced with satisfaction and relief when Bella felt the silence within the cab settle around her like a down comforter for the first time in what seemed like eternity.

She knew there was going to be hell to pay when Alice came to and Charlie found out what she had done but for now she enjoyed the peace and quiet and allowed herself to relax slightly for the first time since Ben's devastating phone call.

As the city lights faded behind them, the desert folded out before the headlights' of the two cars moving almost silently through the warm Arizona night toward the promise of a safe haven, free from the fear and death that would become so commonplace in the coming days.

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Yep I'm on a roll. I know this story as well as I know myself since it is centered around my own zombie survival plan as well as my own non-zombie experiences. Let me know how I'm doing so far!

XOXO,

Bellarella


	6. Take It Easy

**Take It Easy**

**Today's song is Take It Easy by Surfer Blood.**

The silence within the cars was short lived as Alice soon regained consciousness and began shrieking like a banshee while pelting Bella with her small, surprisingly sharp fists. While within the Jeep in front of them, the boys weren't fairing much better. There may not have been any screaming or hitting taking place like it was within the slightly swerving truck behind them but Emmett surely would have preferred it to the stony, disapproving silence that had begun to mess with his sanity.

Around the time Bella knocked Alice out cold, Emmett had decided to begin blaring his obnoxious gangster rap at maximum volume. Being more of a Johnny Cash man himself, Charlie was vehemently opposed to his son's music choices and began rooting around the car in search of an alternative music choice.

Ignoring Emmett's red faced protests, Charlie popped open the glove compartment and began shifting through its contents. Within seconds he had pulled out six empty condom wrappers and a baggy full of weed. It was at that moment that the CD ended and the car was plunged into a deep and deadly silence.

While Charlie was not an overly emotional man, the Swan children could always figure out their father's moods by deciphering the positioning of his moustache and currently, Emmett's future was looking grim. He was beginning to think that maybe he would have been better off hitchhiking with the zombies. He just thanked god Charlie hadn't happened across the spank bank that was stored beneath the passenger's seat because if there was one think Charlie hated more than potheads and the French, it was porn.

He felt that having it around was demeaning to his daughters and after once finding a copy of Playboy on Emmett's dresser, he had forced him to volunteer to help out in the women's self defense classes at the local community center. That was the last time he ever left his dirty magazines out in the open or made the mistake of thinking old Mrs. Alvarez couldn't pack a punch. He had hobbled around for nearly a week afterward with a bag of frozen okra strapped to his groin. Yes, Charlie finding Emmett's pot stash was definitely preferable.

"Dad, I-," Emmett started but screwed his mouth shut, unsure of what to say exactly.

Charlie's moustache twitched slightly and he raised his hand to silence his beet red son. "Please Emmett, don't. I really don't want to know I'm just glad you're being safe. God knows the world couldn't handle having more of you running around."

Emmett's shoulders sagged and he let out the anxious breath he had been holding. His father was focused on the used condom wrappers. Good. Maybe Charlie thought the weed was oregano?

"Now, about this reefer…"

"Shit Dad," Emmett said as all of his hopes came crashing down around him. "I know what you're going to say but come on can you blame me with Alice around?"

To Emmett's surprise, Charlie's moustache twitched to the right indicating that he was giving his son one of his lopsided grins. "Actually son, I was going to ask if you minded if we gave some to your sister, she could seriously use hit."

Emmett's draw dropped as he stared in awe at his straight laced police officer father, completely taking his eyes off the road.

"Shit!" Charlie cried grabbing the dashboard. "Emmett! Road!"

Emmett snapped his head back to the road just in time to watch in horror as he ran right into a figure stumbling down the road. The body smashed into the windshield and flew right over the roof and into the way of Bella's oncoming truck.

Stunned, Emmett and Charlie's heads whipped around in time to watch the two screaming girls run right over the body before fishtailing slightly and coming to a screeching halt.

Charlie was unbuckled and out of the still moving Jeep before Emmett had time to shift it into park. Disregarding the obviously deceased individual behind the car, Charlie raced to the passenger's side door and wrenched it open. A shocked and shaken Alice fell into his arms.

"Are you alright girls? Are either of you hurt?" Charlie demanded fearfully.

A wide eyed Bella turned her blood drained face to her father and managed to choke out an 'I'm fine'.

"Alice honey, are you alright?" Charlie asked pulling gently back from his smallest daughter's trembling form and checking her for injuries. "Oh god, look at that bruise. Did you hit your face on the dashboard?" he asked concerned.

Had he been paying closer attention, Charlie would have noticed the nervous eye twitch Bella had suddenly developed and just how interested she had suddenly become in her short fingernails. But he missed all of Bella's obvious tells as he was completely focused on the small injured girl before him.

Sensing an opportunity for payback, Alice allowed big crocodile tears to fill her wide, innocent blue eyes. "I didn't hit the dashboard Daddy, Bella did," she sniffled deviously.

"Bella hit the dashboard?" Charlie asked confused as to why Alice had a bruise and not Bella.

"No," Alice drew in a shaky breath. "Bella did it. She hit me." She pointed her well manicured finger at her glaring sister. "She punched me!"

"I didn't," Bella cried indignantly but upon receiving the full force of Charlie's glare and a similar moustache position to the one Emmett had received earlier, she back peddled quickly. "Alright well maybe I did punch her a little," she admitted refusing to make eye contact, "but she deserved it! She kept screaming about how we are all going to die. She was driving me insane!"

The sound of a hand hitting her window and the wide, terrified eyes of her sister caused her to clamp her mouth shut and turn her head slowly to the left. Bella found herself staring into the disfigured face of one of the undead. Currently, the zombie was slapping at the window and trying unsuccessfully to chew through the glass while licking it like an ice cream cone.

"Oh you have got to be fudging with me!" Bella shouted angrily, "I just washed this car!

"Take it easy Bella," Charlie warned.

But she was too preoccupied with the floundering sack of flesh before her to heed her father's warning tone. Reaching behind her, Bella grabbed a tire iron and with an almighty shove, pushed the door open knocking the grotesque hitchhiker flat onto what must have once been his ass.

"Isabella Marie Swan, you had better not go out there," Charlie growled warningly from his encumbered position within Alice's bone crushing hold.

As the zombie struggled to regain its footing, Bella marched determinedly forward swinging the tire iron like a baseball bat. Although seriously disfigured by the two cars it had been run over by and what ever trauma it had suffered to get it to this state, it was apparent from the clothes and scraggly facial hair that it had either been a male or a really, really unfortunate female. Its legs were both twisted at odd angles, probably from being run over repeatedly, and the skin on its face hung in ribbons.

As Bella stepped closer, the zombie swiped at her pant legs trying to catch hold of the delicious morsel before it but missed every time. The fact that both of its hands were hanging loosely from its wrists probably wasn't helping.

Raising her weapon above her head, Bella brought her crowbar smashing down onto the zombie's skull, smashing a neat hole through it and destroying what remained of its brain. If her family wasn't shocked by her killing efficiency, they certainly were when they watched with matching wide eyes as she struck it repeatedly over the head until there was an unrecognizable of mush left where its head should be. Bella though took no notice as she wiped her weapon off on the corpse's tattered clothing and climbed back into the truck without a word, checked the backseat, and tossed the crowbar into the small jump seat as though nothing out of the ordinary had just transpired.

She restarted the truck with a flick of her wrist and glanced over at a speechless Charlie and Alice, Emmett was still sitting in the Jeep, a look of pure pride and adoration lighting up his face.

"Well?" She asked expectantly after a moment. "Are we getting out of here or what? If there's one of these things this far out here there has to be more nearby."

Charlie cleared his throat and exchanged a worried look with Alice. "Uh, sure, yeah you're uh probably right. We should get out of here but uh-," he paused and scratched his head uncomfortably. "Why don't we have Alice here switch places with your brother?" he suggested eying Alice's blossoming bruise. Bella just shrugged as Alice pushed past her father and sprinted for the safety of the large Jeep.

After being kicked out his Jeep by Charlie, Emmett practically bounced his way over to the truck with his metal box tucked under his arm and climbed eagerly inside glad to escape any more uncomfortable silences. Bella didn't even wait for him to close the door all the way before she started moving.

"Those were some pretty badass moves back there Bellybutton," he gushed in adoration as he stowed the locked box beneath his seat. Again Bella shrugged but said nothing choosing instead to focus on the road.

Desperate for some sort of conversation, Emmett decided to fill his sister in about what had happened in the Jeep. "So Charlie found our condom wrappers," he revealed in a bored tone while staring intently out the window and into the darkness.

The truck swerved wildly as Bella fought to keep control. "Our what?" She shrieked.

"Our condom wrappers," he repeated, turning his large body toward her much smaller one. "You know, from the condoms we filled with chili and pelted Newton's car with last week."

"Yeah I know what you're talking about," she snapped, "but consider your choice of words for a moment there genius."

Emmett wrinkled his brow in confusion as he rethought his words and Bella waited for her childlike brother to pick up on the absolute vileness of his statement. In three, two, one…

"Oh gross!" He shouted, his face contorting in disgust as he fought to put as much space between himself and his sister as possible in the cramped cab.

"Yeah dipshit!" she exclaimed before another thought occurred to her and she face palmed. "Wait, you didn't tell Charlie they were ours did you?" Bella asked worriedly before shaking her head. "No you must not have, otherwise no amount of zombies would have kept him from destroying our very souls." She paused for a minute. "Did he uh, find the weed?" she asked nervously.

Emmett surprised her by snorting in amusement. "Oh he found your 'reefer'," he interjected air quotes, "alright." He let out another amused chuckle.

Bella's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you high?"

"No." He laughed grabbing his sides, "But Charlie thinks Alice should be!" No longer able to contain his manly giggles, Emmett collapsed back against the cool door and wiped away the tears that were streaming down his face.

After a few minutes of intense concentration along with and one or three more 'manly' giggle attacks, Emmett caught his breath long enough to ask the question he had been dying to know the answer to.

"Now Isabella Marie," he said in such a spot on Charlie voice that Bella couldn't contain the snort of amusement that managed to break through her stoic façade. "What's this I hear about you laying waste to your sweet baby sister's delicate face?"

At the memory Bella's mouth curled up in an evil smirk and her entire body began to shake with silent laughter. "Oh my god Emmett it was amazing, I've always dreamed of it but my imagination did it no justice. She was driving me insane, just wouldn't shut the fluff up! She kept screaming that we were all going to die and while that is a very possible scenario, I didn't really want to think about it. So when she grabbed me I couldn't take it anymore and I let her have it."

The grin on Emmett's face was so wide it looked like his face might crack. "Just like I showed you?" he asked.

"Just like you showed me," she agreed with a smile.

He began tapping his fingers together before stroking his imaginary beard like he was deep in thought. "You have done well my young grasshopper," he said in a goofy voice causing them both to burst out in laughter.

The moment was light, something they both desperately needed after the worst days of their adult lives so far. Sadly, they would both soon look back on this day as one of the good ones as there were far worse things to come.

"By the way," Bella asked after they had caught their breaths, "I keep meaning to ask. What's in the box?"

"Uh-" Emmett's face turned beet red and he suddenly became incredibly fascinated with his seatbelt. "Bullets," he squeaked out in a voice higher than his own. He cleared his throat, "just uh, more bullets. You can never be too prepared you know."

Bella nodded momentarily satisfied with his answer and too tired to ask why he insisted on carrying it everywhere. There would be plenty of time to squeeze the real answer out of him later. For now she just needed to focus on sticking to the plan and getting her family to the mesa before it was too late.

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_I hope you're all enjoying this little window into my madness. Please leave me some love!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	7. Snowflake In A Hot World

**Snowflake In A Hot World**

**Today's song is Snowflake In A Hot World by Mercury Rev.**

They had been traveling for several hours when Charlie called over the CB radios Bella and Emmett had installed years before for better pranking, to let them know that Alice needed to use the restroom, now.

While stopping in the middle of the night during a zombie invasion was certainly not ideal, traveling at high speeds in such loaded down vehicles was quickly depleting their gas tanks and dipping into the gas supply too early could prove disastrous in the long run. Stopping to refuel while it was still possible would be a chance they would just have to take.

After checking her map, Bella radioed back and let him know there was a small town coming up in the next few miles.

"Snowflake?" Emmett chuckled in amusement from the driver's seat. "Are you shitting me, there is actually a town in Arizona called Snowflake?" Bella just shrugged and continued flipping through her notebook, a pocket flashlight illuminating the pages.

After a few minutes of traveling in silence, the truck's headlights illuminated a sign welcoming them to the town of Snowflake, Arizona population 5,221.

"I know this might sound cliché, but I have a bad feeling about this," Emmett admitted.

Peering into the darkness, Bella agreed. "We'll just have to stay alert when we stop. We don't have much of a choice unless we want to risk running out of gas further down the road. Besides, you know Alice won't pee on the side of the road."

"You're right," Emmett conceded turning cautiously into the dimly lit Mobil station on the outskirts of the small town.

As they rolled up to the pumps, Bella had to suppress the chill that ran down her spine. Emmett was right, something felt off. Peering around, she surveyed their surroundings as Emmett hopped out of the car and inserted his credit card in the pump. Behind them Charlie was doing the same thing while Alice jumped out of the large vehicle and shifted from foot to foot uneasily.

Spotting her sister, Alice quickly strode forward and grabbed a hold of Bella's arm and began tugging her toward the service station. "I need to pee," she whined. "Come with me?"

With a roll of her eyes, Bella conceded and followed Alice toward the illuminated building. As the girls pushed open the glass door, a bell dinged signaling their entrance. Glancing around Bella noted the absence of an attendant but brushed off her unease as she followed Alice into the bathroom. It was a small station with only a single stall for each gender so the girls were forced to take turns. After washing the mascara tracks from her face and fixing her hair, Alice declared herself ready to go and strode purposefully from the small room.

Following closely behind, Bella suddenly ran into the back of her immobile sister. "What the fudge Alice?" she hissed in annoyance.

Without making a sound Alice slowly raised her hand and pointed her finger toward an open door leading into the back room. Inside was a sight that would scar both girls for the rest of their lives. Just inside the room a figure dressed in strained coveralls was crouched over the body of the station attendant while a deep red puddle seeped slowly across the tile floor. But it wasn't the oozing puddle of freshly spilled blood or even the sounds of the zombie slurping greedily upon a piece of flesh that drew the girls' frightened eyes and seared itself into their memories. It was the look of horror upon the attendant's face as he met the eyes of the frozen girls screamed in silent torment as he was eaten alive.

"Oh shit," Bella mouthed as she tore her eyes away from the doomed soul before her and looked around for anything she could use as a weapon.

Cursing the small station's lack of car care products, she realized their best bet would be to make a run for it. While she wanted to help the poor attendant, she knew he was a lost cause. It would only be a matter of time before he too was also feasting on the flesh of the living.

"Alice," she hissed into her sister's ear. "Alice we have to make a run for it alright? On the count of three. One. Two. Three." On three she pushed her sister to get her moving before sprinting for the door herself.

Alice made it out the door without any problem but of course Bella being Bella caught her foot on the spinning rack holding an array of Greetings from Snowflake! postcards and sprawled face first onto the cool tile floor. With a groan, she scrambled to her feet and chanced a glance behind her only so see a blood drenched zombie chewing lazily on what appeared to be the remnants of the attendant's liver as though it were a Slim Jim.

Dropping the rapidly cooling piece of flesh, the zombie stared hungrily at the fresh meal before him and began moving at a speed Bella wasn't expecting. Throwing herself forward, she wrenched the door open and spun around pulling it shut behind her. She was just fast enough to trap the zombie inside the store. Unable to reach her, it began angrily pounding on the door with a force that threatened to crack the glass.

Panting heavily, Bella backed warily away from the door when a shot rang out behind her. Spinning around she was met with a sight far more terrifying than the one she had just witnessed. Beyond the edge of the darkness figures were moving rapidly toward the little family with hungry moans and strangled screams.

"Bella let's go!" Charlie shouted as he opened fire on another of the unfortunate undead who had managed to get too close.

Not needing any more encouragement, Bella dove for the truck and threw herself inside, slamming the door shut behind her. As soon as she was safe inside, Emmett and Charlie both jumped into the cars as the swarm of undead came rushing into the light.

"GO GO GO!" Bella screamed as Emmett struggled to get the keys into the ignition.

"Shit!" he cursed as an armless young woman threw her body at the truck, distracting him from his task.

"Emmett, get us out of here!" Bella cried hysterically as the newly undead residents Snowflake poured into the gas station and began converging on their car. Through the rearview mirror, Bella watched as Charlie managed to plow his way through the onslaught and onto the main road.

Shaking like a leaf, Emmett finally managed to insert the key into the ignition and brought the truck to life with a roar. "Hold on Bells!" he shouted as he shifted into gear. "Shit's about to get bumpy." With a squeal, the truck's tires spun before peeling out of the lot and through the thinnest part of the growing crowd.

"Shit, shit, shit," Bella swore loudly as she struggled unsuccessfully to buckle her seatbelt in her state of extreme panic.

"Hang on!" Emmett cried as he took an unexpected hairpin turn trying to shake off the two zombies who had managed to clamber atop the truck bed and begin hammering on the roof of the cab.

Unfortunately, while Emmett did succeed in shaking lose their unwanted passengers, Bella still hadn't managed to buckle her seatbelt and her body was thrown violently into the window, cracking her head against the glass. Gripping her sticky head and muttering a quiet 'ouch' Bella slumped heavily down in her seat. In the distance, Bella was aware of a muffled voice shouting her name but her lips were too hard to move. As the throbbing darkness washed over her like a flood, Bella lost the fruitless struggle with her leaden eyelids while the darkness claimed her.

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_I hope you enjoyed the update. I've finally broken down and gotten a Twitter account so now you can follow me at http:/twitter(dot)com/Opposed2Reality. Please leave me some love and let me know what you think of the story so far, I hope to hear from you soon!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	8. To Fix The Gash In Your Head

**To Fix The Gash In Your Head**

**Today's song is To Fix The Gash In Your Head by A Place To Bury Strangers.**

The light pierced her eyelids like a dagger to the brain causing her to groan in pain and shift her arm over her head in an effort to escape from her fiery tormenter.

"Thank god." Charles Swan whispered as he breathed a quiet sigh of immense relief while he watched his oldest daughter begin to stir out of the corner of his eye.

Watching his children fight for their lives repeatedly the day before had been difficult for him to stand but when Emmett had radioed ahead to the Jeep and told them about Bella's condition he was certain his heart had frozen in his chest and ice water had been poured through his veins.

As soon as they were clear of Snowflake, Charlie had insisted that they stop the cars and switch places so that he might do what he could to care for Bella even if that just meant fixing the gash in her head and keeping a silent vigil while praying for her to open her eyes soon. It wasn't much but it made him feel better.

Thus far, the escape from Phoenix had been unbearably terrifying for the entire Swan family but for no one more so than for Charlie. It was not the fear of the undead that plagued his mind, it was the fear that he might lose one of his precious children that terrified him the most.

When he had lost Renee unexpectedly on the operating table years ago, he knew would have never had the strength to carry on were it not for his children. From that moment on, they had become his entire reason for living, they were his everything and the terrifying thought that he could lose any one of them at any moment did not sit well with him.

As the world began to deteriorate around them, it was going to become more and more difficult not only to survive day to day but also to get proper medical care and Charlie feared that because of her clumsy nature, Bella might just fall victim to something as mundane as in improperly treated cut or a mild concussion. If anyone were to be unlucky enough to succumb to an infection caused by a small splinter during the zombie apocalypse, it would be his accident prone daughter.

"Ugh, mother trucker," swore the young brunette loudly as she scrunched her eyes up tightly against the sunlight streaming into the cab of the truck causing her father to smile with amusement.

Even nearly unconscious, Bella continued to use her ridiculous substitutes for the F-word. The petite girl could curse like a sailor and quite often did but for some reason she found the F-word to be the holy grail of all curses and refused to drop 'the F-bomb' at any time. It was something her siblings teased her about regularly as they tried to goad her into letting one fly but failed each time. Instead they often found themselves using some of her creative terms instead.

"You alright there Bells?" Charlie asked as he watched Bella run her hand over the sizable lump and bandage on the back of her head and hiss in pain.

"Mmm," she groaned as she struggled to open her eyes. "If you mean am I alive? Then yeah but if you're asking if I feel good than my answer would be a resounding no. My mouth tastes like I licked a dirty litter box and my head feels like it got ran over by a Mack truck. What the hell happened? " She asked while finally managing to shield her eyes against the glaring sunlight enough to open them slightly. "I remember leaving the gas station but after that everything is just black."

"Well," Charlie paused long enough to take a swig from a water bottle he had thought to grab from the truck bed before they were attacked. "That would be a question better asked of your brother but from what I understand, some zeds were able to climb onto the truck and when Emmett tried to shake them off you hadn't managed to buckle your seatbelt and hit your head on the window. Gave us all a pretty good scare there Bells," he said while giving her a look you have to have children to master.

Embarrassed by her father's concern Bella chose instead to make light of the situation. "Zeds Dad?" She asked with a chuckle followed immediately with a groan as she clutched her throbbing head.

Note to self, she thought as she concentrated on suppressing the waves of nausea that were now crashing relentlessly over her, laughing after suffering a blow to the head is a terrible, terrible idea.

Now it was Charlie's turn to be embarrassed, "Uh yeah," he answered sheepishly rubbing his neck. "I may have watched a zombie movie or two in my time," he admitted with a shrug. "I'm up with the lingo."

After exchanging similar grins, the two Swans lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Alice's voice crackled over the CB. "We're coming up on a town. Em wants to know if we should try stopping or continue on?"

With a glance toward Bella, Charlie reached for the radio and depressed the small black button. "I think it would be best to just continue on since we refueled in Magdalena. If we run out of fuel we'll just have to dip into our reserves further up the road where it's bound to be safer. The word has to have gotten out by now so the further away we stay from large groups of people and local law enforcement the better."

He took his finger off the button and carefully replaced the small device. "'Bout how much further are we talking here Bells?" he asked earnestly. "Your brother's been following whatever map you gave him but I'm not sure where we are exactly."

Reaching for the dog eared atlas at her feet, Bella flipped it open to a marked page, traced their path and quickly began calculating how much distance they still had left to cover on a piece of scrap paper she had retrieved from the overflowing glovebox.

"You know Bells," Charlie said with a smile as he watched her jot down numbers, "you do have a GPS in here," he said while tapping the small device to prove his point.

Glancing up from her calculations, Bella gave her father a wry smile. "That would work, if we were planning on staying on the main roads but we're going to be going a little off the grid here," she explained as she turned her attention back to her calculations.

Charlie scratched his head. "Do you really think that's necessary? While I agree we shouldn't be making too many stops, do we really need to be taking back roads to…" he trailed off for a moment. "I know I should have asked earlier but where are we going exactly?"

With the final scratch of her pen, Bella put aside her scrap of paper and jabbed her finger at a small spot on the map. "Right here and we have about a hundred and ten miles left to go."

Puzzled Charlie removed his eyes from the straight dusty road before him and tried to make out their destination with little success. "I don't see anything," he admitted turning his attention back to the road.

"Yeah Dad," Bella replied with a roll of her eyes, "that's kinda the point. I've spent, awhile, selecting a location with just the right traits. It had to be within driving distance and we had to be able to reach it without passing through any major cities or towns. It also had to be located near enough to said cities or towns that we could raid them for supplies if needed yet far enough that the eventual hordes wouldn't make it out to us. It also had to be a location that could be defended easily and Dad," she exclaimed excitedly, "this place has all of those things and more! It really is the perfect place for us to hole up during Phase I."

"Phase I?" Charlie asked surprised. "How many phases are in this plan of yours exactly?" he asked eyeing the large notebook sitting on the seat between them.

"Oh you know," Bella replied nonchalantly as her face began to turn bright red, "a just one or two."

The seasoned cop's eyes narrowed as he sensed a blatant lie. "Just one or two huh?" he asked with disbelief knowing there was much more than just one or two. If he were to venture to guess he would bet money that his daughter had planned well into their future, should they all manage to survive that long. "And how much time exactly did you spend on planning these one or two phases young lady?"

"You know Dad," Bella replied as she tried her best to suppress her panic and channel the smooth talking talents she had witnessed her older brother employ on the many occasions on which he had wound up in deep shit. "How much time I spent on all this," she gestured to the notebook, "really isn't important, what is important is that I did and I think we need to remember that."

Feeling more confident that Charlie would let the issue drop Bella began to let her mouth run away with her, just like Emmett always did. It was just too bad she had regrettably forgotten in her moment of panic and that Emmett almost never got away with anything, ever.

"I mean, had I not spent any time on this we would probably all either be trapped in Phoenix or doomed to die out in the open because we couldn't come up with a plan fast enough. If anything I really should be commended for spending so much time on this and while it might be a bit over the top I wouldn't say no to Emmett and Alice naming their firstborn in my honor."

"Oh is that so?"

"Well yeah," she answered with a shrug, "I mean it's only right."

"I see." It was silent for a few seconds and Bella began to rejoice in her victory and sent her mental thanks toward Emmett's curly head in the car before them. "You trying to channel your brother there Bells?"

"What?" She gasped dramatically as all her rejoicing came to a screeching halt. "No, pft, please," she waved her had dismissively, "why would I try to channel that baboon?" She studied Charlie's moustache and not liking its positioning decided to try another tactic. "Alright, maybe just a little." She admitted. "Okay a lot," she amended quickly after evaluating the moustache's new position. "It's not working is it?" she asked with as resigned sigh.

Charlie shook his head and his moustache twitched, "nope."

"I should have gone for Alice huh?"

"Probably."

"Damn."

"Now, back to my original question."

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_Thank you for your reviews so far and for all of the favorites and alerts I've gotten! This story is a blast to write and I hope you're all enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it. My only request is that y'all send me a few more of __**your**__ zombie survival plans as I plan on integrating a few of them into the story in future chapters! Also to answer a few questions, yes most of the other Twilight characters will be making appearances but not for awhile yet and when they do they will be quite OOC for the most part but so far who isn't? Anyway, feel free to drop me a line either here or on twitter, http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2016157/Bellarella, with any questions you may have and send me your survival plans! Until next time my chickens sleep tight and don't let the zombies bite!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	9. The Alamo

**The Alamo**

**Today's song is The Alamo by Red Light Company.**

Before Bella was forced to confess just how much time she had put into her elaborate plan, she was saved by Emmett's voice crackling over the CB.

"Dirty monkey to Sailor Moon. Mary Poppins informs me that we have a situation. Over."

Charlie wrinkled his brow and gave Bella a disbelieving look. "Don't ask." She said with a shake of her head as she reached for the small black device.

"Oh trust me," Charlie replied focusing his attention back on the road, "I wasn't planning on it."

"Dirty monkey this is Sailor Moon. What's the problem? "

"Mary Poppins spotted some fresh blood spatter near the edge of town. It appears the town had been compromised. Over."

Glancing warily out her window, as they pulled up to the stopped Jeep, Bella was easily able to spot what Emmett had described as spatter. Not the word she would of used. If she were to describe what she was seeing she would definitely describe it as being dark puddles of quickly drying blood.

"Dirty monkey and Mary Poppins request directions on how to proceed. Over."

"Emmett you know you don't have to keep saying over, and I see what you're talking about."

"Well how do you suggest we proceed oh illustrious chief?" The radio was silent for a moment before Emmett couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Over."

"Dammit Emmett!" Bella scolded "Would you stop saying over? You're driving me-" The CB receiver was suddenly snatched out of Bella's hands by an annoyed looking Charlie.

"Focus Bella," he scolded. "Are there any other routes we can take?"

Biting her lip as she once again scanned the worn map Bella shook her head. "No good ones. If a rural town like Alamo has already been infected than chances are the main highways are a no go and there are no better ways in. Our safest bet is to drive straight through town as fast as we can. After that we will be on rural roads without another town for a hundred miles. If they try to follow us we'll just lose them in the desert. It's our only choice."

Charlie pursed his lips and nodded his head. "Alright, then straight through it is. Call ahead and let your brother know. And no fighting," he warned before reaching across her and locking the door.

"Really Dad?" Bella asked incredulously.

"Hey, better safe than sorry. Now radio your brother."

With a roll of her eyes, Bella once again radioed Dirty Monkey and told him the plan. It was decided that Alice would take over driving so that Emmett could be free to shoot anything that got too close and after a short argument it was agreed that Bella would also be armed.

With a nod of his head toward a nauseous looking Alice, Charlie shifted the truck into gear and began speeding into the small town with the Jeep hot on his heels.

"Oh this is not good," Bella said quietly as they sped toward the center of town.

Apparently the town had been in the middle of some sort of Founder's Day celebration when the infection reached them. Up and down the main drag, the street was littered with confetti, torn streamers, discarded clothing, and what appeared to be some miscellaneous body parts.

"This is very not good," she repeated as a horde of the newly undead appeared before them.

Their food sources having been annihilated and turned, the zombies had all been milling aimlessly around the bloody wasteland, when they all turned in unison at the sound of the approaching vehicles.

"Now that's just creepy," Charlie mumbled as he sped faster and faster toward the horde. "Best make sure you're strapped in tightly there Bells. This is about to get hairy."

Just as the large truck was about to run right into the horde, Charlie spotted an opening and swerved toward it, bypassing the largest part of the horde. In her rearview mirror Bella watched as Alice gracefully navigated the Jeep through the throng of hungry corpses.

Suddenly, Bella was throw painfully forward as they ran over several of the unfortunate residents of Alamo. One was even tossed up and over the hood of the car. The newly made speed bumps caused the truck to slow enough for several of the descending zombies to grab a hold of the back of the truck and begin hauling themselves up onto the covered truck bed.

"We've got clingers!" Bella shouted as she readied Charlie's service pistol for action. She would have preferred something a bit more substantial but with little room to maneuver this was the best she could do for now.

"Hang on!" Charlie shouted as he continued to weave quickly through the small town. "We're almost there. I can see a break in the crowd!"

At the sound of gunshots echoing off the buildings, Charlie's eyes shot to the rearview mirror and Bella snapped her head around for a better look. Behind them, a rather large zombie was sprawled across the hood of the Jeep, completely unbothered by the fact that its leg had been torn off by the Jeep's large tires, it was trying to claw its way up the speeding vehicle toward a screaming Alice and a grinning Emmett. After rolling down his window slightly, Emmett had pointed his gun toward the zombie and opened fire missing once before striking his target in the middle of its broad forehead.

Bella's attention was suddenly diverted as she watched in horror as an old woman in a square dancing dress pressed what was left of her face to the cab's back window.

"Ew," Bella commented as she jerked back in disgust. "She's getting her gross blue eyeshadow all over my window."

"Just let it go Bella," Charlie warned as he concentrated on getting them safely out of the town. "We'll deal with her once we get out of this godforsaken town."

As the demented square dancer began trying to bite through the glass Bella lost all restraint. "Mother fluffing son of a biscuit eating bulldog! That biscuit is smearing her ungodly cheap red lipstick all over my clean window!"

Ignoring Charlie's shouts of protest, Bella cracked the small sliding window open and placed her gun to the zed's head as it let out screams of what might be described as delight when it found itself so close to a fresh meal. "Yeah," Bella snorted as she pulled the trigger twice, "not gonna happen Billy Jean."

"Isabella Marie Swan!" Charlie shouted enraged as Bella opened the window wider, pushed the corpse off the truck and began wriggling out the window. "You get back inside this truck right this instant young lady or so help me god I'll-"

Bella never heard the rest of Charlie's threat as she suddenly found herself face to face with yet another zed clinging persistently to the back of the truck. Not wasting any time she once again opened fire, striking the zed squarely between the eyes before scooting back into the truck.

From a few yards behind, she heard Emmett shout "Remember the Alamo!" before she slid into her seat with a soft grunt and pulled the window shut. With the imminent threat taken care of, the silence within the car became deafening as they cleared the last of the zeds and hit the road toward safety. Bella gnawed on her bottom lip anxiously as she watched Charlie's face began to revert to a less purple color. She fully expected him to lay into her about her reckless behavior but he never said a word choosing instead to inflict a much harsher punishment, his silent disapproval.

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_Short but sweet eh? I'm so glad all of you seem to be liking my crazy story so far! Please continue to send me your survival ideas and let me know how I'm doing. Love you my little potatoes!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	10. I'm Sure It Helps

**I'm Sure It Helps**

**Today's song is I'm Sure It Helps by Weinland.**

The rest of the trip to Bella's chosen hideaway was relatively uneventful. Winding down the dusty old Indian Service Route, they never encountered any other souls either dead or alive but after two hours of driving Alice began to get restless.

"Oh my god, are we there yet?" she whined while fanning herself with a map as she poked and prodded the shiner Bella had given her the night before . "We're probably lost. Figures she would lead us all out here to die in the desert. We would have been better off in Phoenix. At least there we had a working air conditioner," she griped.

Clutching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles had turned white, Emmett couldn't bear to listen to another minute of her self-involved bitching.

"Would you shut the fuck up?" He finally snapped angrily causing Alice to start in shock at his sudden unexpected outburst. "If it weren't for Bella we would have all died back in Phoenix and had she not been there you would have been killed back at that gas station so shut the hell up. You should be kissing her ass rather than bagging on it."

Alice snapped the visor mirror shut with an angry snort. "Oh yeah I should just bow down and kiss Bella's perfect ass just like you and Charlie. Not likely. The two of you are so blinded by her perfection that you don't see the real Bella. She's no angel, trust me."

"You know I don't think she's an angel Al," Emmett replied with a heavy sigh, "but she's also not the monster you make her out to be. I swear I don't understand what happened between you two. I remember when you used to be the best of friends sure you fought like cats and dogs but at the end of the day you still loved each other. Why can't you both just go back to that?"

Pasting on a mask of indifference in an attempt to hide her hurt, Alice stared out at the stony landscape before answering. "Too much has happened Em. I can't just forget what she did."

"Erg," Emmett clutched at his hair in frustration. "And what exactly was it that she did to wrong you? What could your own sister have done to you that was bad enough for you to claim to hate her?"

Alice took a deep breath as she collected her thoughts. She hadn't sorted through those memories in so long. Furrowing her brow, she turned back to Emmett's expectant face. "They drove him away from me and I'm not sure I can ever forgive her for that."

Emmett's brows knitted in confusion as he tried to make sense of her words but came up empty. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he finally admitted.

"No, I guess you wouldn't since it happened while you were away at school. During my freshman year of college, I had a boyfriend, James Hunter. He was amazing. James was smart, funny, good looking, and treated me like a princess," she gushed, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "We knew it was too soon for us to be so serious but we were in love and wanted to get married. I knew Charlie would never approve but it was my life you know? Anyway the night he was supposed to pick me up so we could elope he never showed. I was so worried Em," she admitted as tears streamed freely down her face. "I called his phone for hours but he never picked up. I even called the local hospitals fearing he had been in some sort of an accident but there was no one fitting his description. I was worried sick and had no one to talk to. Charlie was working, you were away at school, and Bella was off with him," she spat. "Finally the next day I was about to give up calling when his phone suddenly picked up. I was so relieved and finally let myself relax knowing I was going to be married within a few hours but no, she had to ruin it."

"Turns out Bella and the worthless boyfriend of hers had threatened James and he had even taken a few swings at James, the animal. So he told me I was too much trouble and he didn't want anything to do with me. Then he hung up. I tried to call him a few times after that but he changed his number and I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Throughout Alice's confession Emmett hadn't uttered a single word. Instead he had focused on every single word she said in an effort to understand what would drive his two sisters to behave in such a way.

"What did Bella have to say for herself?"

Alice's mouth dropped. "What do you mean what did Bella have to say for herself?" she snapped. "How the hell should I know?"

Emmett's head snapped toward his sister so fast he was certain he was going to be suffering from a minor case of whiplash. "How could you not know? Didn't you ask her?"

"No," Alice replied her face scrunched up in a look of disbelief. "Why would I talk to her after what she did? She drove off the love of MY life."

"Yeah well, be that as it may don't you think you should have asked her why? Maybe she had a good reason."

"There you go again!" Alice shouted while gesturing angrily, "defending perfect Bella, yet again. Isn't it getting a little old?"

"Whoa there!" Emmett snapped eyes blazing angrily. "Before you get all high and mighty just think for a second. Why would Bella go out of her way to threaten the 'love of your life' and scare him off the night before your secret wedding?"

"I don't know. Because she was jealous. Why else? It's not like any guy has ever looked twice at her."

Emmett glared at the road before him before a thought occurred to him. "I thought you said Bella and-" he trailed off determined not to utter the bastard's name, "her boyfriend threatened him."

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, so?"

"So why would she be jealous if she had a boyfriend?"

"I don't know. Don't ask me to try to understand the twisted inner-workings of Bella Swan's convoluted mind. Maybe she was jealous that my boyfriend loved me more than hers did." As soon as the words left her mouth Alice knew they were entirely untrue and so did Emmett.

"You know that's not true Al," Emmett replied wearily rubbing his face in a very Charlie like manner. "While he may be a bastard there was no way anyone could ever claim he didn't love her. Hell he practically worshipped the ground she walked on. Course that wouldn't stop me from sucker punching him right in his pretty face should I ever have the misfortune of running into him again which after this unlikely turn of events seems pretty unlikely. I'll never understand what he did to her but that's beside the point."

"Oh really Em," she sneered, "what exactly is the point?"

"My point is that the reasons you have come up for hating Bella are shaky at best and you know it. You have no idea what really happened and if you have half a brain in your head you would realize that your story makes almost no sense. I mean I'm sure it helps you get through the day, blaming all of your problems on your favorite scapegoat but ask yourself this. Since when does Bella run off in the middle of the night to threaten your boyfriends enough that they dump you and fall off the face of the earth?" he asked seriously before turning his attention back to the road. "I don't know who you grew up with but that sure as hell sounds nothing like my sister."

For once in her life Alice was left completely speechless. They rode in complete silence for a few minutes more before the truck in front of them took a sharp turn to the right onto what appeared to be a main road.

"Looks like we're almost there," Emmett remarked offhandedly.

"Why do you say that?" Alice asked curiously, all signs of her previous hostility completely gone from her voice.

Emmett raised one finger and pointed toward a giant shape looming ominously in the distance. "Because I'm pretty sure that is Bella's brilliant hideout."

**X**

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_I know they're short but you still got three new chapters in one day. Yahoo! Thanks again for the great reviews and all the adds I really love that you like this story. Now, some people have asked if Edward will be showing his hot face soon and my answer is eh. He will be showing up but in his own sweet time. He has his own mess to sort through first but we will be checking in on him soon as he is a real joy that one, you'll see. Anyway let me know what you think and sleep tight chickens! Remember, don't let the zombies bite!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	11. Mardy Bum

**Mardy Bum**

**Today's song is Mardy Bum by the Arctic Monkeys.**

"Pull over here," Bella instructed.

"Why, what's wrong?" Charlie asked concerned while complying with his daughter's request and pulling onto the shoulder of the empty road.

"Nothings wrong, yet and I'd like to keep it that way. I need to make a phone call."

Charlie's moustache twitched. "Bells, who could you possibly be calling? Besides, we're in the middle of the desert, do you even get service out…" he trailed off as Bella pulled a satellite phone out from under her seat.

"Do I even want to know?" he asked with a groan before throwing his head back over the seat and fixing her with a pained look.

"No," Bella replied while unfolding the phone's long antenna, "probably not."

"Alright, so since you obviously have service out here, who exactly are you calling?"

"Jake."

"Who the hell is Jake?"

"He's the guy who's going to save our sorry asses," she replied while dialing.

"What the-" Charlie was silenced with the wave of a hand demanding silence.

"Jake it's Bella. Yeah we made it. Not too much. Uh huh. About five miles. Alright are you all set? Oh god I'm so sorry! I know how much- yeah, yeah okay. You've got everything in place? Sure- I'll see you soon. Okay, you too."

Bella powered down the large phone, folded up the antenna and proceeded to store it back under her seat before looking at Charlie expectantly.

"Okay," she said with a nod, "let's go."

Rather than move, Charlie proceeded to stare at her waiting for some sort of explanation.

"Come on Dad we've got to go. The sooner we get there the better." Charlie just continued to stare.

"What?" she asked self consciously as she turned the rearview mirror to face her. "Do I have something really gross in my teeth?" After a quick inspection she found nothing and returned the mirror to its normal position.

"Are you going to explain what just happened?" Charlie asked.

Bella began to blush. "I guess I didn't really explain very well. So um, you've obviously seen this," she gestured toward the large notebook in her lap. "Well uh, I may have gone a little above and beyond in my planning and set up some, you know, contacts, around the uh country."

"Around the country?" Charlie squeaked before clearing his throat. "Bella how did you meet these people?"

Bella's face turned so red she resembled a strawberry. "Ontheinternet," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said shaking his head, "I thought you said you met these people on the internet."

"Um, yeah, I did," Bella admitted quietly as she braced herself for the scolding that was sure to follow.

Charlie didn't disappoint. "Are you insane?" he chastised as he put the truck back into gear and began driving toward the looming mesa. "These people could be complete psychos! You know better than to trust people on the internet. Didn't I teach you kids about stranger danger?"he asked as he pulled at his hair in frustration. "So you're telling me we're putting all of our lives in the hands of people you don't even know?"

"No," Bella pouted crossing her arms, "I know Jake for years and we can trust him."

"Bella talking to someone on the internet doesn't mean you know someone no matter how long you claim to have known them. For all we know this guy could be some dirty old pervert who gets his kicks by messing with young women on the internet."

"He's not an old pervert Dad," Bella replied with a tired sigh. "He's my age and we can trust him."

"You can't know that for sure," Charlie reiterated raising his voice. "You've never met him. Just because someone tells you something on the internet that doesn't mean they're-"

"I've met him," she mumbled quietly.

"What?" Charlie growled dangerously as he stared her down.

"I've uh met him," she repeated in a shaky voice while refusing to look him in the eye, "when I flew to Albuquerque to interview for grad school a few years ago I um stopped out here and I uh, met him."

Charlie's face had turned an angry purple color and Bella was surprised with he pulled off the side of the road. "Out," Charlie barked pointing to the door.

"Wait what?"

"Out, get out. Ride with your brother. I'm so mad at you right now I can't even think straight and I certainly can't stand looking at you. Get out, now," he growled menacingly.

Not needing to be told twice, Bella struggled with the lock on the door for a minute before succeeding in opening the heavy door and jumped out onto the side of the road. As soon as she closed the door, Charlie pulled away and continued driving down the road. In the distance she could see Emmett's Jeep rapidly approaching and stuck out her thumb.

Emmett decided to mess with his sister and drove by as he and Alice watched her face anxiously in their mirrors. The look on Bella's face was absolutely priceless and both tried to take a mental snapshot to keep with them always as they shook with laughter at their sister's expense. Not being truly evil, Emmett put his car in reverse and rolled back toward the stunned Bella.

"Where you headed stranger?" he asked wiping the tears of joy from his eyes as he leaned over a giggling Alice.

Stomping forward Bella wrenched open the backdoor and threw herself into the Jeep. "Shut up asshole."

Her irritation caused her siblings to laugh even harder while Bella struggled to find a space between a propane stove and several cases of bottled water. As Emmett began to drive forward again she sulked moodily in the backseat.

"So, Charlie abandoned you on the side of the road huh?" Alice asked sounding entirely too amused.

Rather than respond to Alice's taunts Bella chose flip her the bird and then proceeded to ignore her attempts at engaging her in a verbal sparring match. Instead she began picking nonexistent lint from her jeans.

Disappointed, Alice reached back, snatched the large notebook out of Bella's lap and began flipping through it. After a few minutes of silence broken only by Alice's huffs, snorts, and groans the CB on the dash crackled back to life.

"Emmett put your sister on."

"Which one?"

"The bigger one," was the terse reply they received.

With a loaded look, Emmett passed the voice piece to the backseat. "This is Bella," she called in a flat voice.

"Bella I'm currently being held at gunpoint," Charlie grunted angrily. "I need you to tell these, people who I am." All three Swans exchanged panicked looks as Emmett increased his speed.

"Alright Dad," she called back trying to keep the panic out of her voice, "ask for Jake. I need to speak to Jacob Black. He's the chief's son."

There was no reply and each of the car's passengers feared the worst as they briefly imagined a life without their larger than life father in it. Alice had just begun to cry quietly when an unfamiliar voice cut through the tense silence.

"Unidentified vehicle this is Jacob Black. Please identify yourself, your ship, I mean car, and your cargo."

Emmett let out a groan as he shot a look toward his sister. "A Star Wars nerd?" he hissed recognizing the quote. "You have us holing up during the zombie apocalypse with a Star Wars nerd? Really Bella? What made you think some scrawny, pimple faced nerd would be a good ally during a zombie invasion? Why couldn't you find us a Rambo?"

"Okay first of all," Bella defended, "Jake is none of those things and once you meet him you're going to be thankful he's on our side, trust me. Secondly, what's with all the Sylvester Stallone movie references? Was there a marathon on or something?"

"Yes there was and that's not the point Bella," Emmett warned testily.

"Whatever Emmett, I don't have time for this," she snapped before pushing the small button. "Jake, it's Bella."

"Phew, I thought that was you Bells but I couldn't be too sure. Is this mustachio with you as well?"

"Yeah, that's my Dad Charlie."

"Shit. He's a cop isn't he?" Jake asked.

"Yeah and you might want to take it easy on him, he's pissed at me already. No need to give the guy a coronary."

"Sure sure," Jake replied dismissively. "How much longer till you get here?"

"Not too much longer, we're coming up on the cultural center now."

"Great well we'll be waiting for you."

Satisfied, Bella passed the CB forward and leaned eagerly forward as they approached the large building.

"This is where we're staying?" Alice asked unsure.

"No," Bella rolled her eyes. "We're staying up there," she pointed to the large mesa that appeared to have sprouted from nothing in the middle of the desert.

"Up there?" Alice squeaked her fear of heights pressing heavily down upon her. "What the hell's up there?"

"Don't worry," Bella assured her. "It's hard to see from this angle but there is an entire village up there. It's the safest place for us. We'll be almost four-hundred feet from the desert floor and surrounded by sheer cliffs. There's no way anything could reach us. There's only one road in and once we demolish it we'll hardly even have to keep watch. We'll be safe here in Sky City."

"We're going to be trapped up there?" Emmett asked as he drove toward the large building.

"Of course not, that would be stupid. There's a hidden staircase up the mesa. It's been there for centuries and is perfectly safe. We'll just have to climb up and down it to get supplies."

"Well what about the cars?" Emmett asked concerned.

"They'll be safe, I promise."She assured him. "We'll be storing all of them down here at the cultural center since we're still going to need them to retrieve supplies once the initial outbreak is over."

"So there's a village up there?" Alice asked astounded as she tried to peer through the windshield. "So we're going to be okay right? They have food and electricity and stuff."

Bella grimaced slightly. "Food yes, electricity and water, not so much."

"What do you mean , not so much?"

"I mean we're bringing in water and they have reserves but there is no running water and the only electricity comes from the generators they use every once in awhile."

Alice's eyes grew wide. "Do you mean to tell me you have dragged me out here to live somewhere without flushing toilets?"

"Well yeah but the power plants are going to be shutting down soon anyway. Soon electricity will be a thing of the past and most water supplies are going to be too tainted to use for some time. It's something you're going to have to get used no matter where we are." Bella explained.

Alice's mouth set in a hard line but she made no more comments as Emmett pulled the Jeep into the largely deserted parking lot and rolled up to a group of men standing around Bella's truck.

Before Bella could hop out of the Jeep, he grabbed her hand. "You sure we can trust these guys Bells?" he asked as he and Alice eyed the large men warily.

"I would trust them with my life," Bella replied seriously before jumping from the truck and throwing herself happily into the open arms of the largest guy any of them had ever seen.

"Huh, I guess she did find us a Rambo type," Emmett remarked as he sized up the behemoth of a man currently spinning his squealing sister in circles. "I wonder if there are any hot chicks up there," Emmett mused before Alice smacked him upside the back of his large curly head in disgust.

**XI**

**XI**

**XI**

_This story is so ridiculously easy to write that I can't seem to stop! Anyway the Swans have arrived safely at Sky City without too much zombie interference which isn't too fun so the groaning undead will be making an appearance soon along with a certain ex-boyfriend I know you're all curious about! Leave me some love and any ideas you have!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	12. Scream, Scream

**Scream, Scream**

**Today's song is Scream, Scream by The Battle Royale.**

The screams had begun to come less and less frequently while the moaning outside was only getting louder. He knew it was only a matter of time before he too fell victim to the roving hordes unless he did something and did it quickly.

"Alright Sammy," he whispered to the whimpering dog at his feet, "we've got to get out of here bud so I'm going to need you to work with me."

He crawled away for a moment and returned seconds later with the dog's worn leather leash and a padded muzzle. Reaching over quickly, he pinned down the struggling animal and quickly slid the muzzle over his snout.

"I'm sorry Sam, I really am." He whispered as he looked into the accusing brown eyes of his only companion and petted him gently. "I know you don't like the muzzle but I can't have you barking once we get outside. I'll take it off as soon as we're out of danger okay."

Alright, he thought, I'll need a weapon. Knowing there was nothing useful to be found in the bathroom he crawled silently toward his kitchen only to come out empty handed a few minutes later. Knives would work against normal attackers but he had seen what these things could do and there was no way he wanted to have to get close enough to use a knife.

Crawling back towards his bedroom, he stopped dead when he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. There was something pounding on the large window in the front room. Not for the first time in the past few days, he cursed his decision to live in a one story duplex with a giant window taking up the majority of the front wall. When he had signed the lease after moving to Austin it had seemed like a great feature but now he wished he had chosen a windowless third floor apartment.

The pounding continued as he gave up crawling and sprinted for the bedroom and began looking frantically for something with which to defend himself. Finally, his eyes landed on the old wooden baseball bat propped up next to his hookah by the backdoor. He picked it up without any hesitation and scooted back to the bathroom.

He had to physically carry the large pit bull out of the bathroom and place him on his feet by the backdoor. The front door was no longer an option since it was next to the large window. He just prayed none of the zombies had made it around the side of the house and into his backyard. His only plan so far was to get them both to his Bronco and if that didn't happen they would have to make a run for it towards the woods behind the house and try to hotwire a vehicle. Neither was an ideal plan but he was running out of options fast.

Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass could be heard coming from the front room. With a deep breath he threw the backdoor open and slammed it shut behind him after witnessing his very obese neighbor Ronald come crashing into the room with a huge hunk missing out of his flabby neck.

As he surveyed his surroundings he was relieved not to find anything lurking in his pitiful excuse for a backyard. Walking as silently as possible, he had to almost drag his chicken of a dog toward the front of the house but as he peered cautiously around the corner, he found himself face to face with one of the recently undead.

"So much for small favors," he muttered darkly as the thing rushed toward him at startling speed.

He recognized it as having once been his kind, blue haired old neighbor from up the street. He didn't know her name but she had always waved whenever he would walk by on his way to the taco stand at the end of the street.

"Sorry ma'am," he said as he got into his old batting stance. "But there is no way I'm being taken out by an old blue hair like yourself."

As soon as she was within range, he took a swing that would have knocked any ball right out of the park. The hit was good, connecting with her left temple and sending her straight to the ground.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," he said as he bent down to pick up the worn leash where he had dropped it.

Suddenly, the ground flew up to meet him as the old blue hair latched onto his ankle and yanked his feet out from under him with surprising strength. He landed with a muffled thud that disoriented him momentarily but he was quickly snapped back to reality when he felt the putrefied old woman began to gnaw on his ankle.

"Oh for fucks sake," he swore as he reached for the wooden bat at his fingertips. "These are my last pair of Doc Martin work boots. You're fucking mental if you think I'm just going to let you chew threw them with your gnarly old dentures." Grabbing a hold of his only his only weapon, he twisted his body uncomfortably and began beating his attacker about the head with it.

Finally, she stopped moving when her skull cracked open after a mighty blow and he was able to disentangle himself quickly from her gnarled grasp.

Amazingly, none of the other flesh hungry monsters currently roaming his once sleepy neighborhood had been alerted by their confrontation. Once again he reached for the leash and after jumping to his feet scooped up the large dog and sprinted toward the old Bronco still parked in front of the house.

He had never been so thankful for his inability to remember to lock his car in his life as he was when he wrenched open the large door and tossed the dog inside. Heaving himself into the car he slammed the door closed just as another zombie came pelting toward him and rammed into the door with a crunch.

"Mother fucker!" he swore as yet another zombie, attracted by its brethren, threw itself at the car with an ear piercing shriek. By now all the zeds in the neighborhood were aware of his presence and had begun converging on his car.

Reminding himself to breath, he fumbled with the keys, dropping them twice before he finally managed to get them in the ignition. "Ah ha!" he shouted triumphantly as he turned the key expecting to hear the enormous engine roar to life.

Instead he listened as the engine sputtered and refused to turn. "This is not fucking happening!" he growled before punched the steering wheel as the car rocked when yet another zombie joined the hungry crowd currently beating on his windows.

"This is so fucking cliché," he yelled angrily. "I refuse to be the sorry mother fucker who gets pulled out of the car and eaten. Alright think. In the movies the car never starts until the third try so I'm still okay."

With a new found confidence, he turned the key again and still the engine wouldn't turn. Although his confidence was slipping quickly, he reasoned that he still had one more try before he was zombie food. With a deep breath he turned the key again and was met with another pathetic sputter.

"Oh fuck no!" he screamed as the glass on the passenger's side began to crack. "Fuck the movies!" he yelled as he tried one more time to start the hunk of metal that might soon be his coffin. This time he was met with the mighty roar of the engine just as the glass shattered and a bloodied hand shot through the opening.

"Later fuckers!" he taunted as he threw the large vehicle into reverse and hit the gas. The force shook off the hungry crowd and managed to mow down all those behind the car and even some in the street. Shifting into drive quickly he floored it and shot forward out of his former neighborhood.

"Holy shit that was a close one but we made it man!" he crowed triumphantly reaching out to pet Sammy but encountered empty air instead.

Looking in the rearview mirror, he was surprised to find the large dog cowering in the backseat rather than in his normal position up front with him. Shaking his head while he gently removed the muzzle, he decided the trauma of what had just happened was probably too much for the gentle giant and that he just needed some time to calm down.

Driving through Austin he was forced to dodge barricades and avoid major streets as he fled the city. Several days earlier the National Guard had put the entire metropolis under quarantine in order to try and contain the outbreak. Judging from the carnage and abandoned military vehicles, as well as the many zombies stumbling around in uniform, their campaign had been a bust.

For days he had hidden with the frightened dog in the small duplex as shots rang out around them. At first the screams had been periodic and the shots could be heard every few minutes but as time progressed the sound of gun fire dropped off and the screams became continual until they finally stopped. They had been replaced by the hungry shrieks and guttural moans of the walking dead.

Everywhere he looked, there were bodies both walking and non. The entire city had become a graveyard. As he navigated his way out of the cement hell, he realized that other than his vehicle and the mobs of dead he saw milling about there was no other movement. There were no birds sitting atop the telephone wires or cats running across the street. It seemed that he and Sammy were the last living things left in Austin.

After several quick cutbacks and many detours, he finally left the city behind him and hit the open road. Now he just had to figure out where to go. There was no point in going home, he had no living family and Phoenix was surely in ruins. The only reason he would go back there would be for-

He stopped that train of thought immediately. He had burned that bridge long ago and he was certain that even if he were able to get back into the city he would not be welcomed with open arms. He knew she was alive, there was no doubt in his mind that she would survive the zeds, she was too smart not. He just hoped that wherever she was she would be strong enough to survive the coming days of harsh winters and possible starvation.

With a sigh he ran his fingers through his hair and pulled out the map from his glove compartment. Searching the map for a reasonable destination he couldn't help but be drawn to the west. Going east would be stupid, too many big cities and if he went too far north he would encounter harsher winters. The west would be a better direction to head in. Besides, in states like Arizona and New Mexico, the towns tended to be smaller and farther apart.

Not wanting to spend too much time on the road he decided New Mexico was his best bet. The only question now was were to go. As his eyes swept the map, they landed on a location he had discussed at length years ago when given this exact hypothetical situation. Without any other ideas about where to go he turned his head toward the backseat.

"What do you think Sammy?" he asked the dog curled up on a pile of old towels. "Should we follow the old plan?" He didn't receive any answer, not that he was expecting one but having someone to talk to every once in awhile would be nice.

Years ago when he had moved to Austin it had been because of a girl, well two girls actually. He had run away from one and into the waiting claws of another. It was not a decision he was proud of and he had regretted every day since.

After Tanya dumped him for refusing to become someone he was not, he had hit a rough patch as the reality of what he had done began to eat at him. It took him having to be admitted to the hospital after overdosing on pills to grow some balls and finally apologize.

Being the angel she was, she had forgiven him without hesitation and they had built a shaky long distance friendship until he fucked that up too. Kate was the devil in disguise and he had allowed her to ruin any chances he ever had of reuniting with the only good thing in his life. Ever since then all he had done was work and come home, always alone.

He had no friends outside of his work acquaintances and his dog was his only companion. Every night after closing the bar where he worked, he would come home to drink and play his guitar while he thought of the girl who possessed his heart until he eventually passed out in an alcohol induced stupor.

It was a sorry existence and he knew that but felt no motivation to try and change his situation. He deserved every ounce of misery he felt and more since he was a vile creature who didn't deserve to be loved.

As he drove his morose ass through the once great state of Texas, he allowed himself to reminisce about happier times, getting lost in his memories. He had been forced to stop twice for gas but had been lucky enough to avoid any unwanted visitors. He had even managed to score an entire box of Slim-Jims from the second, less bloody abandoned convenience store.

"You know Sammy," he said seriously while tearing off a large bite of his Slim-Jim and chewing noisily, "they should really change the Nutrition Facts label on Slim-Jims to read, You Obviously Don't Care because there is no way anything in here is even remotely healthy. Or natural," he added before taking another large bite.

"Hell yes!" he shouted suddenly dropping his half eaten Slim-Jim and causing the poor dog to jump in fright.

"Zed in the road bud! Ten points if I can knock its head clean off when I run it over!" he shouted jubilantly as prepared to mark down yet another ten points on the notepad he had found in the convenience store near the Slim-Jims.

In an effort to try and stay awake during the road trip from hell, he had invented a new game. He would attempt to take out as many zeds as possible and then awarded himself points for doing so. He had assigned set point values based on the manner in he destroyed them and the difficulty level of said manner. Points were also awarded for style any smart comments he could make before and after the fact.

So far he had racked up over two hundred points for the twenty-six zombies he had taken out since inventing the game. Part of him was disappointed that he hadn't thought of it sooner since he would have been well over three-hundred if he could count the scores of zeds he had mowed down in Austin.

"Look at this poor fucker," he laughed darkly as he sped toward his target. "Just stumbling around in the middle of the desert. Poor stupid bastard doesn't know what's about to hit him. Oh look Sammy, he 's noticed us, nice. Six Slim-Jims say he's going to start running right for the car like an idiot."

He pressed his foot harder on the gas pedal to gain the speed necessary to decapitate the zombie with one hit.

"Well that's weird," he said as he ran his hand across his several day old stubble. "It almost looks like he's trying to hitch a… holy fuck!" he shouted as he grabbed the wheel with both hands and slammed on the brakes with both feet.

The old blue Bronco skidded along the asphalt as the brakes squealed noisily in protest. Realizing the swiftly approaching car would never stop in time, the figure in the middle of the road scrambled to get out of the way of the death machine . It managed to jump out of the way just in time to avoid a messy and untimely demise.

As the driver sat white faced and shaking in the car the hitchhiker calmly stood and dusted himself off before ambling toward the stopped vehicle and knocking politely on the unbroken glass of the passenger side window.

"Hey man, can I bum a lift?" he asked as though he were asking an old friend for a cigarette.

The driver turned his wide green eyes toward his light blue ones staring hopefully at him and nodded once in assent before slowly turning his head back to face the front.

With a grin, the disheveled hitcher pulled up the handle and clambered happily inside the air conditioned cab."Name's Jasper," he said sticking his hand out in greeting. "Jasper Whitlock."

Shaking himself from the state of shock he had found himself in once he realized he had almost committed vehicular homicide, the driver hesitantly extended a dirty hand. "Edward," he replied, managing to crack a small smile of his own. "Edward Cullen."

**XII**

**XII**

**XII**

_I feel like running to hide. I really hope I did Edward's escape from Austin justice. I promise there will be more about what happened between him and Bella in the future but for now we're just picking up strays like Jasper. Also, Sammy the dog is not Sam in dog form he's just based on an actual dog by that name. Anyway I hope you're not offended by Edward's dirty mouth and if you are I apologize now because it's only going to get worse. Please leave me some love and let me know, what you thought. Until next time my delightfully delicious little tater tots._

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	13. Consolation Prize

**Consolation Prize**

**Today's song is Consolation Prize by Julie Doiron.**

The conversation flowed easily between the two refugees and Edward found himself feeling as thought he had found a true friend for the first time in almost five years.

"You know what I will never understand?" Jasper asked around a mouthful of Slim-Jim. "Why do kids wake up crying after a nap? I mean they just slept for three beautiful, uninterrupted hours. What the hell could they possibly be crying about now? Little shits."

His companion's uncensored thoughts and refreshing honesty made Edward chuckle. He was about to throw out his own profound thoughts about the lack of a single A battery when Jasper wrinkled up his face in disgust.

"You know man your car is well and truly funky. I mean get you've been on the run for awhile but you might think about picking up some air fresheners or something. Maybe get those little cherries that hand off the mirror like little red balls. Those are nice. You know what else is nice and just so happens to resemble a ball sack-"

As Jasper droned on about what type of air fresheners would smell best and what commercially produced items reminded him of a pair of balls, Edward took a whiff of his car and barely refrained from gagging. Jasper was right, something smelled like it had gone off but what could it be? He knew it wasn't the dog, the smell wasn't right so he sniffed the Slim-Jim in his hand, nope he thought not that either. Maybe it was him. Pretending to scratch his head he gave himself a quick pit check and while he smelled absolutely rancid that still wasn't it. With a shrug he gave up. Maybe it was Jasper.

"Shit dude pull over!" Jasper demanded excitedly.

Startled, Edward complied quickly causing everything in the car to fly forward. "What? Did you see something?" he asked as he peered anxiously through the dirty windows.

"Fuck yeah I did!" Jasper shouted excitedly before looking down toward his feet in confusion. "What the…" he trailed off before letting out a startle yelp and jumping from the car like he had the devil on his heels.

"Squirrely little fucker," Edward muttered as he watched Jasper sliding down into the shallow ditch beside the road before leaning over to see what had caused Jasper to bail from the car so suddenly.

"Mother-" he shouted as he jerked back. There on the dash mat lay a rapidly decomposing dismembered hand.

Knowing the only time a zed had gotten anywhere near the interior of his ride had been back in Austin when one busted the window he realized it must have rolled under the seat and been laying there for hours. "Well that explains the smell," he muttered darkly.

With a resigned sigh, he reached into the backseat and retrieved his baseball bat. Since Jasper had disappeared into the ditch beside the road Edward knew he probably couldn't count on his help in getting rid of this putrid piece of flesh. Using the wooden bat like a golf club, he was eventually able to knock the rancid hand out Jasper's open door and into the road. That taken care of, he cautiously clambered out into the clean, open air and followed Jasper towards the ditch.

"What the fuck?" he muttered under his breath as he was met with the sight of Jasper crawling excitedly around an abandoned motorcycle.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Jasper sighed once he realized he was being watched.

"Yeah, yeah she is," Edward replied appreciatively with a nod as he stepped closer to the abandoned cherry red bike. Walking around the front he let out a whispered 'fuck me' when he saw the symbol on the handlebars.

"What man?" Jasper asked as he looked back and forth between Edward and the bike excitedly.

"This is an old Indian Scout motorcycle in mint condition," Edward answered in a voice that betrayed his awe as he ran his hand lovingly across the handlebars. "They sure don't make 'em like this anymore."

Shaking himself from his motorcycle induced haze he realized that no one would willingly abandon a piece of machinery like this willingly. If he were to guess he would bet there was a hungry zed wandering around somewhere nearby and he really didn't feel like fighting for his life right now.

"Alright," he said as he unwillingly turned his back on his dream bike and climbing out of the ditch, "we'd better get going. No telling what's hiding around here."

"Wait what?" Jasper asked as he scrambled up behind him. "Don't tell me you're just going to leave it there to rust? Come on man, I saw the way you looked at her."

Edward simply shook his head as he walked back to his old Bronco. "Can't man. Much as I would love to I have to drive the Bronco." He reached for the door handle when he felt Jasper's hand on his shoulder.

"Go to her dude," Jasper said seriously. "An opportunity like this only comes around once in a lifetime. It's like fate and dude, you don't mess with fate. Think of it as your consolation prize for surviving."

Edward cocked his eyebrow at Jasper's ridiculous reasoning but allowed himself a moment to imagine riding such an amazing piece of machinery. Then he was interrupted sight by the wet nose of his truest friend pressing up against his window out of the corner of his eye.

"Nah man. I couldn't. What about Sammy?"

Jasper grinned happily knowing he was about to win his argument. "Don't worry about him. You take the motorcycle and I'll drive the Bronco. I'll to take good care of Sammy, you have my word," he raised three fingers in a boy scout promise. "Go get your pretty lady and no worries man, me and Sam here have bonded."

"Yeah," Edward snorted, "over your mutual love of over processed meats."

"Dude don't hate, that shit is delicious. Now go so we can get the fuck out of here. That hand is starting to give me the creeps," he said with a shudder. "I swear its giving me the finger."

Needing no further encouragement, Edward dashed happily back into the ditch and emerged minutes later huffing and puffing as he struggled to push the large bike out of the ditch. Finally once she was back on level ground he swung his jean clad leg over the beautiful piece of metal and closed his eyes before starting her up.

Unlike his Bronco, the motorcycle purred to life immediately sending a jolt of excitement through him as the powerful engine roared to life between his legs. With a nod toward Jasper and Sammy he put the bike in gear and sped off down the highway with an excited whoop.

As he sped down the road the feel of the warm wind blowing through his already disheveled hair was indescribable. He could honestly say he had never felt so free. For the first time in his life he felt the soul crushing shackles of regret fall to the road around him as he shed his worries and focused only on the feel of the bike and the road before him.

He knew his feelings of depression and disgust would return eventually, they were woven too thoroughly into the fabric of his soul not to but for now he just let himself forget as he sped north toward the site of his possible salvation.

**XIII**

**XIII**

**XIII**

_Does the thought of dirty, scruffy Edward on a vintage motorcycle make you as hot as it makes me? Damn. Anyway, thank you for the great ideas and comments I've been getting. I know so many of you hate Edward after the last chapter as you should, no matter how hot he is. I promise we'll get to the real story behind why he left eventually but I think it would be best if we hated on him for awhile longer, he really deserves it after what he did, trust me. Anyway, please leave me some love and any thoughts or ideas you have for this story! Until next time!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	14. Cannibal Love

**Cannibal Love**

**Today's is Cannibal Love by White Sea.**

Bella swung wildly around in the gentle giant's iron hold. "Hell's Bells!" he cried happily. "I sure am glad to see you." He placed her gently back on the ground before stepping back to get a better look. "Lookin' a little rough there Bells. Do they not have hairbrushes where you come from?" He teased and earned a swat upon the arm. "What?" He chuckled good naturedly with a grin that would cause the panties of most adult females to melt.

"I'm sorry if my lack of grooming offends you," Bella replied sarcastically as she wriggled from his grasp, "but I just couldn't find time to put my face on you know what, with the undead trying to rip it off every five minutes."

He let out a dramatic sigh. "Well I guess I we can forgive you this time but next time we expect mascara and heels."

Bella clicked her heels and offered a mock salute. "Yes sir!" she shouted before breaking out in a fit of giggles.

The Swan's watched the easy interaction with stunned silence. It had been so long since Bella had exhibited such a carefree attitude that they weren't sure how to react. It had taken her years to manage a genuine smile and even then they never quite reached her eyes. Yet here she was, laughing and smiling like her old self.

Watching his daughter interact with the friendly giant, Charlie couldn't help the crooked grin that graced his tired face. He had spent so many sleepless nights worrying about her. After that, boy, left she had been so depressed he had often considered forcing her to seek professional help. It was only in the past year or so that she had shown any sort of improvement, leaving the house more often and even actively participating in some of Emmett's harmless pranks.

"I believe some introductions are in order," the large man said, clapping his large hands together and turning his attention toward the motionless Swans.

"Right, of course," Bella said as she practically skipped forward. "Jake this is my father Charlie, my brother Emmett, and my baby sister Alice. Everyone this is my best friend, Jacob Black."

With a welcoming grin, Jacob stepped forward to shake each of their hands. "Mr. Swan," he said with solemn a nod. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir. Your daughter speaks very highly of you and I'm sure you will be an asset to our continued survival." With his ears blushing red at the compliment, Charlie mumbled a quiet greeting in return.

Eager to better size up the large man, Emmett stepped forward and thrust his hand forward, "Emmett Swan, at your service."

Grasping each other's hands firmly, both men increased their hold on the other's hand, silently willing the other to cry uncle. When it became apparent that neither was going to back down from the blatant display of testosterone fueled competition Alice hit Emmett in the back of the knee with a practiced kick and as he crumpled to the ground hopped forward eagerly.

There was no denying Jacob was an attractive man, his jet black hair and russet skin only served to highlight his high cheekbones and well defined jaw. Knowing that most of the eligible bachelors she once knew would now rather eat her than take her to dinner, Alice was intent on staking a claim on any and all attractive young men she met.

"I'm Mary Alice but you may call me Alice," she said regally as she offered her hand up to be kissed.

A look of disbelief crossed Jacob's handsome face before it was artfully masked. Stepping forward he grasped her hand in his and brought it up to his lips for a light kiss. "Your majesty," he replied in a poor British accent before he releasing it gently and performing a dramatic bow .

Too wrapped up in herself to realize he was poking fun at her, Alice tittered quietly while fluttering her eyelashes in what she thought to be a seductive manner. Unfortunately, it just looked like she had something in her eye.

Eying her dubiously, Jacob straightened up. "Ah yes well," he said has he forced himself to look away from her ridiculous eye fluttering. "Uh, let me introduce you to the rest of the guys," he said as he gestured the rest of the young men standing around the cars to come forward.

"Beginning with the smiling doofus on the left we have Quil, Embry, Jared and Paul," he said as he pointed them each out individually. "On my other side we have Sam, Collin, and Brady. And right here," he said as he pulled a gangly kid to the front, "we have my kid brother Seth."

After each of them men were introduced they each stepped forward to shake hands with the Swans and each one ended up in a bone crushing handshake with Emmett until Alice would eventually intervene and try her best at flirting.

Quickly tiring of Emmett's testosterone driven feats of strength and Alice's simpering smiles and spastic eyelash fluttering, Bella decided to put them all out of their misery and get the show on the road.

"So Jake, any way we can get out of here before it gets dark?" Bella asked.

Jacob had to forcibly tear his eyes away from staring at Alice's facial twitches. "Sure, sure," he answered distractedly as he witnessed her attempts at shaking her hips attractively while stalking toward his intimidated younger brother.

"Jake," Bella snapped her fingers under his nose.

"Uh yeah, sorry," he apologized focusing on the annoyed brunette before him."That would probably be a good idea. Never good to be out in the open after dark these days," he agreed before turning his attention to Charlie. "Mr. Swan, if you wouldn't mind following us up the road we can unload your cars and get you settled in tonight before we blow the road in the morning."

"That'd be fine son," Charlie agreed gruffly, "but if you don't mind me asking, is it really necessary to take out the road? Surely it would make getting supplies in and out easier and I don't really see too many zeds making it this far out of the city."

"While we agree sir," Seth said respectfully, "we feel that it's better to be safe than sorry, no need to put ourselves in any unnecessary danger. Besides, after the initial outbreak zeds will be the least our worries and as far as getting supplies up to the mesa it will be difficult but not impossible. There is a hidden stairway carved into the side of the mesa that our people used for centuries. Before the road was built it was the only way in and out of the village for centuries and the people here lived relatively well. I'm not going to tell you it won't be harder, it will be but the benefits definitely out way the negatives in this situation."

Charlie dipped his head in acceptance of the gangly young man's explanation. "Sounds like you've considered every angle. If you can assure me that my children will be safer without the road than you go ahead and do what you need to do. You won't hear any complaint from me."

"Thank you Mr. Swan," Jacob replied respectfully.

Charlie brushed him off with a dismissive wave. "Mr. Swan was my father y'all can call me Charlie you know."

"Thanks Charlie," Emmett slapped him on the back with a devilish grin. "I thought it was about time we were on a first name basis."

"Not you, never you," Charlie growled knocking Emmett's large arm off from around his shoulders. Emmett pretended to cry quietly to himself at his rejection making those around them grin at the large man's childish antics.

"Well now that we're all in agreement, how 'bout we all head up the mesa and get your family settled in. Then we can see about some dinner," Jacob suggested.

At the mere mention of dinner, both Emmett and Charlie's ears perked up and they scrambled wildly for the cars. Watching them, it wasn't hard to see the resemblance between father and son.

Slamming the door of the Jeep shut behind him, Emmett started the engine. Suddenly noticing that the girls were still standing with Jacob and his crew, he hastily rolled down the window.

"What the hell are you girls waiting for? Do you need a written invitation? The man said dinner, now get your asses in the cars or I won't be held responsible when I resort to cannibalism," he shouted.

The girls rolled their eyes simultaneously and exchanged burdened glances before walking in slow motion toward the cars while the men around them laughed hysterically at the family's light hearted antics.

"Mary Alice and Isabella Marie," Charlie barked from inside the truck, "you had better pick up those feet or god help me I'll feed you to the zombies myself."

With a more discreet roll of the eyes, the girls walked quickly toward the passenger sides of the vehicles while Jacob and his friends jogged effortlessly toward their cars.

Within a minute, they all found themselves barreling down the poorly paved road toward the pueblo. At the base of a steep dirt incline, Seth hopped out of the truck leading the way and pushed open a large metal gate allowing each of the cars to drive past before swinging it closed once again and hopping in Emmett's jeep.

As the cars climbed the dusty dirt road toward the top of the mesa, each of the Swans craned their necks in an effort to get a good look at their new home. After a few hundred yards, their efforts were rewarded as the first of the ancient buildings came into view.

"Oh wow," Alice breathed as more and more of the adobe pueblo came into view.

Emmett let out a low whistle. "You can say that again," he agreed in awe.

Seth let out a chuckle and shook his head at the reaction he had come to expect from the scores of tourists that trekked up here every year. "Welcome to Sky City," he said warmly before jumping lithely from the still moving vehicle with astonishing grace.

**XIV**

**XIV**

**XIV**

_Sorry I didn't update sooner but I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding in NY so I was a little busy. I did manage to write this chapter on the plane though so I hope you enjoy. Also someone told me it was their birthday so this is for you pal. Now leave me some love!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	15. Run Chicken Run

**Run Chicken Run**

**Today's song is Run Chicken Run by The Felice Brothers.**

As they drew closer to Albuquerque, Edward was forced to store his precious bike in the back of the Bronco since the number of undead had increased exponentially. He wished he knew a different route but New Mexico was a fairly rural state with few major roads linking the widely spaced towns and cities. For its size the state might be sparsely populated but they were quickly approaching a city that boasted a population of over a million. That meant there was the possibility of over one million flesh hungry undead milling about.

"Eight-hundred and forty!" Jasper crowed triumphantly as he finished tallying his newest score on the yellow legal pad. "Man I tell ya, I was on a roll! You should let me drive again so I can at least try to catch up to you."

"Maybe later Jazz," Edward said noncommittally. "Right now we just need to focus on getting through this city alive." He gestured to the view before them.

The sight of the overrun barricades outside of the city limits turned the mood within the car somber immediately. "Holy shit," Jasper muttered under his breath as he surveyed the carnage with wide blue eyes, "some of those towns were bad but this is by far the worst I've seen."

Edward nodded his head in silent agreement as he concentrated on carefully navigating his way around the rotting corpses and still burning cars strewn across the landscape like a child's discarded toys. Austin had been bad but it was nothing like this.

The ravaged landscape reminded him of pictures he had seen of Dresden. All around them fires raged on and upon spotting several leveled office buildings and apartment complexes on the horizon it seemed like much of the city had been burnt to a crisp. He knew there was an air force base within the city and he wondered if perhaps they had resorted to bombing their own city in an attempt to beat the scourge.

He briefly entertained the idea of heading toward the base to see if anyone had survived and if they could score and awesome weapons but changed his mind quickly when he caught sight of the damage towards the east. Large clouds of dark smoke were wafting toward the pristine blue sky and in the distance the echoes of explosions could be heard.

Edward and Jasper had decided to try and stay on the interstate as much as possible. Neither knew their way around the large city and while the large stretch of road was littered with bombed out and abandoned cars, it was the most direct route through the city.

They were navigating their way carefully through the metal graveyard when they both caught sight of something that made their hearts stop. In front of them a yellow school bus was overturned and blocking all the surrounding lanes but it was not the bus that made the two men break into a cold sweat and caused the large dog to wet himself with fear. It was the sight of the scores of dead motorists and what appeared to be an entire high school football team complete with cheerleaders and a bloody bear mascot moving hungrily toward them that caused their reactions.

"Fuck," they both groaned as Edward threw the large car quickly into reverse and began swerving backwards toward the exit they had just passed.

"Dude," Jasper squealed in a voice better fit for a small girl as he widened gaze rested transfixed on the wave of rotting flesh moving hungrily toward them with startling speed.

"I know," Edward growled as he turned his body and concentrated on weaving backwards through the gauntlet of dismembered body parts and twisted metal.

"Dude," Jasper whimpered again before throwing himself into the backseat with the cowering dog after the first nearly faceless blonde cheerleader flung herself carelessly toward the retreating vehicle.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Edward shouted in frustration as he careened haphazardly around an overturned Volvo. Every second the horde of putrid flesh eaters drew closer to the retreating vehicle and began to throw themselves forward with abandon.

With a series of quick movements, he shifted the car back into drive and swerved through the hungry throng before swinging the car toward the exit ramp. He slammed his foot on the gas as the car shot up the ramp. At the top he saw more zeds approaching from the east and turned the car hastily towards the flyover, praying he could shake the majority of his pursuers long enough to find shelter.

As they wove wildly through the maze of motionless vehicles littering the road, Edward tried to lose the hungry zeds by turning sharply to the right and descending rapidly into a small valley made up of warehouse style superstores. As he turned left sharply, he was overjoyed to find himself in from of not only a Sam's Club but also a Costco, a Home Depot, and a Sportsman's Warehouse.

"Thank you sweet baby Jesus!" Jasper cried jubilantly from his position on the floor between the front and backseats as he began to entertain the idea that he may not have to be eaten alive today.

"Which one man?" Edward demanded anxiously as he swerved around a blazing Mini-Cooper.

"Uh, uh," he stuttered unsure while swinging his shaggy blonde head back and forth as he weighed their options.

His first instinct was to choose the Sportsman's Warehouse as a Rambo centric fantasy quickly flitted through his mind. He couldn't help himself, there had been a Sylvester Stallone marathon on before the outbreak hit. While the Sportsman's Warehouse would be awesome for firepower but it was smaller to the others and too close to the road they had just come down. Besides, they would have to leave the car outside and once inside would have a hard time barricading the glass doors. Not a wise choice.

Next, he looked briefly toward the Home Depot but dismissed it just as quickly. Sure they would be able to barricade the doors but there would be little or no food inside. That left Costco and Sam's Club as their only options. Both would be ideal but he couldn't make up his mind.

Sure, Sam's Club had those amazingly delicious little meatballs he loved but Costco always seemed to give out more samples, which was awesome when one had no money for lunch. He felt his heart being torn in two but was saved from heartbreak as his decision was made for him. The large metal door to the Costco's Auto Care Center was opening and a figure was waving them inside.

"Costco," he shouted as he clambered back into the front seat and pointed toward the large white building on the left, "head for the Auto Care Center!"

Without question, Edward turned left and barreled across the parking lot toward the open door. Once inside, both jumped out and sprinted for the button to lower the giant metal door just as the first of their pursuers crested the hill. As the door met with the ground with a small thud, both let out twin sighs of relief before tensing back up at the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked.

"Hands up bitches," a voice behind them demanded. Without hesitation, both men's hands shot straight into the air.

"Now turn, slowly," the voice directed. Slowly, they turned toward the door leading into the Costco proper and were met with a sight neither of them had ever have expected.

"Fucking mother fuck," Edward groaned in disbelief as he caught sight of their rescuer while Sammy sprang from the car and loped happily up to the figure with his tail wagging like a maniac. "You have got to be fucking shitting me."

**XV**

**XV**

**XV**

_I would tell you to guess who has our boys at gunpoint but I can assure you, you would be wrong. Please leave me some love and let me know what you think. A lot of you suggested they hole up in a Wal-Mart while someone else suggested Sportsman's Warehouse. There actually is a little valley in Albuquerque containing all of these stores just as I described. My friend Mark always wanted to somehow barricade the entrances to the valley with semis and live off of the stores. Interesting plan but I'm not really sure where he was going to get all those semis. Anyway, until next time my little zombie lovers!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	16. 50 Lashes

**50 Lashes**

**Today's song is 50 Lashes by Floating Action.**

The small figure in the doorway squealed in delight and carefully placed the gun on the floor before throwing itself happily at the large dog. Meanwhile, Edward cursed his treacherous dog. Man's best friend, bullshit! He thought as he watched Sammy begin frantically licking the face of the now hysterically giggling child who only moments before had a gun trained on them.

"Sam!" he called angrily as he lowered his hands to his sides.

"Aw, but Mr. Ed, he missed me," the small boy protested as Sammy reluctantly obliged his cross master's demand and slinked toward him with his tail between his legs. Jasper's eyes darted between the large annoyed man and the young boy who seemed to recognize him.

Ignoring the child's protests, Edward glared at the cowed dog for a moment before returning his attention to his would be captor. "Hello Jack," he said in a bored tone," where is your mother?"

"She's inside," he replied digging his toe of his sneakers in the cement and looking down. "Please don't tell on me for calling you bitches, Mr. Ed," the child pleaded looking repentant.

Edward pinched his nose and shook his head. "I won't tell your mother," he promised, "now can you please take us to her?"

"Thank you Mr. Ed!" Jack cried jubilantly. "My mom is inside, come on! She's going to be so happy to see you guys!"

"Yeah fucking right," Edward muttered as he motioned for a confused looking Jasper to follow them into the large building.

"The kid calls you Mr. Ed, like the talking horse?" Jasper asked. Edward chose not to reply and strode quickly after the boy.

As soon as they were through the door, Jack began jabbering away about this and that while Sammy loped happily along beside him, occasionally nuzzling into the boys side affectionately looking for a head rub.

"Whore," Edward muttered darkly as he watched his dog beg for the child's attention. Had the creature no shame?

"Mom!" Jack called as they passed the frozen foods section.

"Over here Jack," a woman's muffled voice answered.

"Mom!" Jack shouted excitedly running toward his mother with Sammy hot on his heels. "You'll never guess who I found!"

"Who you-" the voice asked warily before the sound of a thump and an oof could be heard from around the corner.

"Oh my god Jack!" the woman screeched, "Get. It. Off. Me!"

"Mom, Sammy's just happy to see you," Jack's voice scolded.

"Jack, where the hell did you find this, monster?"

"He came in with Mr. Ed."

"Mr. Ed?" the voice asked confused.

It was at that moment that Jasper and Edward rounded the corner into the dry foods aisle from which the voices were coming.

"Hello Rose," Edward said while avoiding making eye contact.

"Oh hell no!" the statuesque blonde shouted while pushing her son behind her. "Get the fuck out of here!" she hissed venomously as she pulled a handgun out of the waistband of her jeans and pointed it toward the man in front of her.

"Ma'am I'm afraid we can't do that," Jasper said taking a cautions step backwards with his hands held out in front of him to show he meant no harm.

"And why is that?" she spat as she cocked the gun causing Jasper's blue eyes to widen while Edward lazily leaned his tall frame against the large metal shelves as thought this were a normal occurrence.

"The zeds, they- they, uh chased us here," Jasper stuttered nervously as he continued to back away from the angry woman.

"They chased you here?" she screeched. "You mean to tell me you led them right to us, you – Jack earmuffs," she instructed causing the boy to immediately clap his hands tightly over his ears and begin humming loudly, "you fucking dumb ass mother fuckers! How dare you put us in danger because you can't pull your oversized heads out of you asses and outsmart a bunch of dead fucking moaners for your fucking selves!"

"You're making a big fucking spectacle of yourself," Edward drawled lazily as he picked at the dirt beneath his fingernails.

"Me?" She shrieked angrily causing the boy to hum louder, "I wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for you! You brought down so much fucking heat on us that we'll be fucking lucky if we live through the fucking night you selfish motherfucker!"

"You know Rose, how about you do us all a favor and give yourself a hand, right across your fucking mouth?"

"Do you remember what I told you? Do you remember what I fucking told you?" She demanded while swinging her pistol around wildly as she stormed toward Edward.

"You know I seem to have forgotten," he replied as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket, "but I'm sure you'll remind me."

"Don't fucking smoke in here!" she hissed as she snatched the pack angrily from his hands and threw it behind her. It skittered across the tile floor before sliding under a large display of pancake mix.

"I distinctly remember telling you I didn't ever want to see your pretty boy face ever again and that if you ever came near anyone I cared about ever again I would slowly castrate you with a blunt knife and wear your balls around my neck!"

Jasper let out an audible gasp as he reflexively clutched at his crotch in an attempt to protect himself from the vindictive blonde.

"Just fucking great Rose," Edward groaned while running his hand through his tousled bronze locks, "where the hell am I supposed to get a new pack of cigarettes?"

"They usually carry the value packs up front," Jasper piped up helpfully before ducking behind a crate of bran muffin mix when Rose's icy blue eyes shot him a look that threatened pain and lots of it if he continued speaking.

"How did you even get in here?" She asked distrustfully, her tirade momentarily over.

Edward raised his hand and pointed toward the child loudly humming the Transformers theme song. "Jack opened the garage door."

Rose's beautiful face contorted in rage momentarily before she plastered on a less threatening face and turned to face her son. "Jack?" she asked.

Lowering his hands at the sound of his name it was obvious to Edward and Jasper that the 'earmuffs' had done nothing to block out the sounds of the tongue lashing his mother had just given them.

"Yes mommy?" he asked sweetly while giving his mother his best innocent look.

"Did you open the door to the garage?"

"Um," he bit his lip and darted his eyes around uneasily, "I don't remember?"

"You don't remember?"

"No mommy," he answered with an exaggerated shake of his white blonde hair.

"Jack," she warned in a voice that hinted of early bedtimes and no dessert.

"Maybe?" he squeaked.

"Maybe?"

"Um, yes," he admitted in a whisper while shrinking in on himself.

"And why would you do that after I specifically told you not to?" she demanded.

Jack just shrugged his shoulders and mumbled something under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

With a sigh of defeat he answered his mother. "'Cause I was lonely," he admitted embarrassed.

"You were lonely?" she asked incredulously.

He nodded his head quietly in response. "Oh Jack," she said while kneeling down and pulling him into a hug. What am I going to do with you?"

The boy sniffed while snuggling into his mother's shoulder. "Do you still love me mommy?"

In response to his innocent question she hugged him tighter. "Of course I still love you, you silly boy," she laughed before standing. "Now why don't you take Sammy with you and find him some nice dog treats, I'm sure he'd like that."

"Okay!" the boy shouted excitedly before running off with Sammy hot on his heels.

"Now, as for the two of you," she said, her tone instantly turning frigid.

Shaking off the feeling of betrayal, Edward straightened up and stretched his hands above his head before rubbing his hand absentmindedly over his week old scruff.

"Drop the act Rose," he yawned. " I know you're glad to see my ass."

"Whatever," she sniffed as she was unwillingly pulled into an awkward hug.

"Cullen," she warned.

"Alright, alright." He dropped his arms and backed off. "Rosalie Hale, I'd like to introduce you to Jasper Whitlock."

Cautiously Jasper emerged from behind the stack of muffin mix and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure ma'am."

"I'm sure," Rosalie sniffed as she removed her hand from his grubby one and wiped it on her jeans.

"My god," she said taking a step back, her nose wrinkled up in disgust. "When was the last time either of you bathed? You smell almost as bad as the zombies."

"Eh," Edward shrugged as he scratched his head, "it's been awhile."

"Same," Jasper answered.

"Well after we've checked the doors you two are going straight to the employee showers. There is no way I'm letting you pollute my air with your stench."

"That's cool," Edward replied as he followed her toward the front of the store to inspect the stacks of crates she had apparently used to block the large doors.

After she was confident there had been no breeches, she led the two scruffy men toward a door marked employees only. "Walk straight back and turn right at the corner, you'll find the showers at the end of the hall. There are towels and shampoo already in there. I'll grab some razors and leave them out here." She gestured toward a large round table in the center of the employee break room.

"Thanks Rose," Edward said as he followed an eager Jasper through the red door, "I really appreciate it."

"Yeah yeah," she replied dismissively as she went in search of her son. "Just don't make me regret not turning your asses into zombie chow."

"So Ed," Jasper questioned, his eyes dancing with amusement, "how do you know the hottie? Did you hit it and quit it or something?"

"No." Edward pushed past Jasper and strode toward the showers. "I almost killed her best friend."

**XVI**

**XVI**

**XVI**

_I spoil you guys with updates! So what do you think of foul mouthed Rose and he little boy Jack? Any guesses who his father is? Leave me some love and let me know what you think! Oh I also changed the rating to mature because the language was getting a little intense._

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	17. Let Me Be Your Cigarette

**Let Me Be Your Cigarette**

**Today's song is Let Me Be Your Cigarette by Dax Riggs.**

"So, how you holdin' up Bells?" Jacob asked as he fixed her with a serious look and set his empty plate aside.

Bella shrugged and hit her lip. "You know, okay I guess. I mean as well as can be expected for someone who has been forced to kill not only her own neighbor but a shit ton of other rotting corpses that would like nothing better that taking a bite out of this sweet ass." She reached back and slapped at her own ass to illustrate her point.

Jacob just quirked his bushy eyebrows in response. "So you're coping then?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Bella!" Alice's voice disturbed the comfortable atmosphere and echoed through the plaza in which the two friends were currently seated. What the hell is this?" she demanded, waving a scrap of dark fabric around.

Bella looked toward the heavens and tried to come up with at least six reasons why it would be bad to murder her younger sister. When she got stuck at number three, she gave up and turned her head toward Alice who was now standing impatiently before her.

Alice looked like a stereotypical bitch. She had her feet were spread apart, hip jutted out to the side and had one hand on her hip while the other dangled the offending piece of fabric which Bella recognized as her favorite shirt, from her perfectly manicured fingers.

"What is this?" Alice demanded again while shoving the shirt into Bella's face before dropping it into her lap. "I opened my suitcase and found- that." She shuddered and pointed to the shirt as thought it were some kind of slimy disgusting creature. "I know you don't seriously expect me to wear that, that, thing."

Bella took a deep breath and let it out slowly while beside her Jacob as wracked with laughter. "No Alice," she answered with a roll of her eyes, "of course I wouldn't expect you to wear something like this," she motioned toward the careworn shirt lying crumpled in her lap. "You obviously got the suitcases mixed up. Try the other one. I'm sure you'll find the clothes in there more to your standards."

"They had better be," Alice huffed as she turned haughtily on her heel and headed back the way she had come with what was apparently meant to be a sexy sway of her hips.

Beside her Jacob was now howling with laughter as large tears streamed down his face. "Shut up!" Bella chastised as she smacked him causing him to fall over and curl into the fetal position as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Sorry, sorry," he gasped while wiping the tears from his eyes. "I just can't help it, she's ridiculous! How do you stand it?"

"Years and years of forced interactions," she admitted with a wry smile. "She was always spoiled but she was never quite this bad until a few years ago."

"Really?" Jacob asked in disbelief. "What happened?"

Bella looked away from his curious dark eyes and toward the blazing fire currently providing the only source of heat in the pueblo. She was silent for a minute as she allowed herself to remember a vibrant pair of emerald green eyes as well as a sinister pair of icy blue.

"A whole lot of bullshit," she answered wearily as she got unsteadily to her feet.

"You going to bed already?"

"Yeah, it's been a long couple of days and I really don't count passing out because of a concussion as rest. I feel like I could sleep like the de-," she paused of a moment as she rethought her words. She was going to say she felt like she could sleep like the dead but these days the dead weren't doing much of that. "Like a baby."

"Aight Bells," Jacob said while unfolding his large frame and rising to his feet. "You get some rest and don't worry about anything. The boys are watching both ways up the mesa. There's no way anything is getting up here tonight," he assured her as they walked toward the house the Swans had been assigned to. Of course even with all the assurances in the world Bella knew she would be sleeping with a gun under her pillow but she decided it wasn't necessary to share that fact.

Stopping at the doorway of the large adobe home, Bella turned and threw her arms around the gentle giant's waist since that's all she could reach. "Thanks Jake, for everything," she mumbled appreciatively into his broad chest. "You know you keep trying to make me feel better when I should be focusing on you. How are you holding up?"

Jacob's usually jovial face grew grim and he released Bella to massage his temples. "It's been- rough," he admitted heavily as he dropped his hands to his sides. "I still can't believe we lost all of them like that, it's just so unreal and I can't help but blame myself. If I hadn't been such an ass I would have been there and maybe things would have been different. Maybe at least one of them would still be-"

He choked up as he recalled all of the faces of those who had been lost. He had just come to the faces it was hardest for him to think about when he felt a small hand on his bicep pulling himself back into the real world.

"Don't beat yourself up, it wasn't your fault," she assured him with conviction in her voice. "If you had been there, chances are you would have died that day as well. There is no use living in the past trust me. No matter how much you wish for it, there's no way to go back and change the past. The only thing we can do is remember those we lost and move forward one day at a time."

It was silent for a few seconds as the two friends regarded one another seriously until the corners of Jacob's mouth began to twitch before splitting into a wide grin.

"That was way deep Bells. Did you come up with that all on your own or did you steal it from a fortune cookie or some shit?"

"No," Bella pouted before she too broke and allowed herself to smile. "Sally Jesse Raphael," she admitted with a laugh as a light blush colored her features.

"No shit? That bitch really knows her shit?"

"Right?"

"Well now that out deep, thought provoking moment is over, I'll let you get to bed."

___"Alright, night. Oh and Jake make sure I'm awake before you blast the road. I want to see that shit!"_

"Sure, sure. See you ___mañana Bells. Oh and remember to put the safety on the gun. No point in ruining a perfectly good pillow," he chuckled as he dodged her balled fist headed for his kidneys. "Sweet dreams," he sang as he jogged laughingly into the night. _

___ "Asshole," Bella muttered with a smile as she stepped inside the doorway._

___**XVII**_

___**XVII**_

___**XVII**_

_Let me just say that you are all really benefiting by my inability to concentrate during Physics. Maybe the gum chewing, desk humping Neanderthal that sits next to me is my muse either that or I am just bored to tears._

_Anyway, let me say that I am blown away by the amazing responses I have received to this story. Those of you who have left me comments have really blown my mind and keep me writing at such a furious pace. For those of you who are concerned, I will kind to Jacob, sort of. What fun would a story be without drama and in case you haven't noticed, this story is freaking full of it. Well while you wait anxiously for the next chapter in which Edward takes a shower (my god is it getting hot in here?) please leave me some love and tell me what you think, say hi, give me some suggestions, or whatever. Until next time my lovelies!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	18. Keep Your Eyes Closed

**Keep Your Eyes Closed**

**Today's song is Keep Your Eyes Closed by The Henry Clay People.**

As the hot water beat down upon his sore back, Edward tried to focus his thoughts on what his next move was going to be. While it sounded great in theory, he knew there was no way they could hole up inside of Costco forever.

The power within the large building was still miraculously on but it would eventually go down and when it did all of the frozen food would melt, the veggies would rot, and they would be plunged into darkness as the undead surrounded the building, trapping them inside. Besides, he had watched enough zombie movies to know they would eventually find their way in, they always did.

With a sigh, he turned toward the miraculous stream and allowed the water to stream down on his unshaven face. It had been so long since he had gotten a real shower. He may have been camped out in a bathroom for days but he hadn't dared let his guard down and make more noise than absolutely necessary for something as trivial as bathing. Besides, the only thing worse than being eaten by zombies while you're taking a crap is being eaten by zombies while you're naked in the shower. No matter what, he was determined not to be the poor undead bastard left stumbling around with his pants around his ankles and his junk swinging free for the rest of the foreseeable future. No fucking way would he end up like his poor naked neighbor Mr. Crowley.

When the water eventually ran cold, he reluctantly shut it off and allowed himself to absorb the relaxing silence surrounding him. The small tiled room was filled with a cloud of steam so thick he could drink it with a straw and the only sound other than his own breathing was the steady drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet. Jasper had finished his shower first and was apparently out wandering around the large warehouse probably smoking a joint or some shit.

With a groan, Edward stepped out of the shower and immediately felt his skin pebble instantly when it came in contact with the cooler air. Wiping the water away from his eyes, he searched blindly for something with which to dry himself before he finally stumbled across a neat stack of towels near the sink.

After hastily rubbing down his hair and patting himself dry, he strode into the locker room with only the white terrycloth towel wrapped loosely around his waist. He glanced at the pile of clothes he had left in a messy heap upon one of the benches but after sniffing them to see if they were wearable, decided it would be best if he found something clean to wear, at least until he could wash his own clothes. Rose was right, they had smelled like death. Gagging on the potent stench still polluting his airways, he tossed them back on the bench and without a second thought, pushed open the door to the employee lounge and strode into the store proper as he headed for the men's clothing section in the middle of the store.

As he perused the selection, he couldn't stop the look of disgust that crossed his face. His only choices for pants in his size were either a pair of pleated kakis or a pair of outdated light washed jeans. Sometimes being so tall was a curse and now was definitely one of those times. With a scowl, he chose the out of style jeans and moved on to the shirts. He fared little better here. There was an astounding selection of polo shirts in every color, semi casual short sleeve button downs, and a small display of Bad Dog t-shirts. He was on the verge of walking around shirtless for as long as necessary when he stumbled across a pack of white Hanes t-shirts. Without a second thought, he snatched the pack along with a pack of underwear and a bag of socks and retreated back to the locker room.

Unfortunately, before he could get to the door, Sammy came bounding up and decided to launch himself at his nearly naked master. With a grunt, Edward was tacked to the ground and had the air knocked out of him as his finds were scattered across the floor.

"Sammy, no," Edward reprimanded with a chuckle as the dog showed his affection by sloppily licking his master's smiling face. "Get off you big nut," he laughed affectionately while pushing the large dog off his chest and getting to is feet.

With a shake of his head, he crouched over and began gathering his new clothes while Sammy loped off to find his young playmate when Edward heard a gasp behind him. Straightening up quickly he spun around and came face to face with a shocked wide-eyed Rosalie.

"What? What is it?" he asked anxiously while looking around for what had caused her gasp but found nothing that could have caused her reaction.

"Holy fuck," Rose breathed lowly while she continued to stare at him as a lazy grin spread slowly across her face. It had been a very long time since she had seen anything even half as appealing as the sight in front of her. "Shit, if I didn't hate your dumb ass fucking so much," she mumbled while eying him appreciatively.

Curious and confused, Edward followed her wide, cornflower blue eyes downward and was shocked when he realized she was staring at his crotch, his completely uncovered crotch. His towel had slipped off somewhere around the time Sammy had knocked him down and he was horrified to find that he was standing around completely naked in the middle of Costco.

With a very manly squeak, he hastily his family jewels with an unopened package of socks. "Uh- uh, I um," he stuttered in embarrassment while the tips of his ears turned bright red.

He wasn't embarrassed by his dick in the least, in fact Edward had been told more than once that it was quite impressive but he was embarrassed by the way Rosalie was staring at it. She had a way of looking at it that made him feel as though he was a piece of meat and if he was completely honest with himself, it made him feel kinda dirty. He was pretty sure that once this was over he was going to need another shower to scrub the memory of her look off of his body.

After a few incredibly uncomfortable moments for Edward, Rosalie said tore her eyes away from his now sock covered package and spun around to face the direction she had just come from. "Well that answers a lot of questions," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Wh- what?" he stuttered, confused by her statement as he continued to tightly clutch the economy sized package of socks to his crotch as though his life depended on it.

She shrugged. "It's just that now I have a better idea why she kept your sorry ass around so long," she replied without further explanation as she walked away from the glorious sight behind her to find her wayward son.

Embarrassed and desperate to escape from the mortifying situation he had found himself in, Edward scuttled over toward his towel and quickly covered wrapped it tightly around his waist before retreating warily back toward the locker room with his bundle of new clothes while he mulled over Rosalie's words.

Was what she said true? Had she only tolerated him because of the size of his dick? No, he decided. He knew she had loved him for who he was, not just for their fuck awesome sex life. She had to have loved him to put up with his moody ass for so long. God he was a bastard for what he did to her he always knew he didn't deserve anyone like her.

As he stepped back into the shower to scrub Rosalie's gaze from his skin until it was red and raw, he realized that now that he had thought about it for the first time in a very long while, he really, really missed sex.

**XVIII**

**XVIII**

**XVIII**

_Yeah, I wrote a chapter about naked Edward, you're welcome. There should be another new chapter up later today so keep your eyes peeled!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	19. We Made A Mountain

**We Made A Mountain**

**Today's song is We Made A Mountain by The Mynabirds.**

"Knock, knock," Jacob's voice called from outside the open door.

"Come in," Charlie grunted distractedly as he rifled through a pile of supplies in search of his moustache grooming kit.

Jacob ducked through the low door frame and helped himself to a seat at the old kitchen table "Mornin' Charlie, Bella up yet?" Jacob asked just as a loud thump echoed through the house.

Charlie never even bothered to look around for the source of the sound. "She is now."

In a vain attempt to escape the sun's piercing rays, Bella had rolled over and instead of catching a few more z's, she managed to fall out of the bed and onto the hard wooden floor. "Mother fluffer," she groaned loudly as she lay staring at the ceiling while her legs remained tangled in her sheets on the bed.

Jacob chuckled as he listened to Bella tell off her sheets using the most colorful language he had quite possibly ever heard."Is she okay?" He asked when another resounding thump was heard from upstairs followed by yet another bout of creative swear words.

Charlie just shrugged his shoulders and continued searching. "Who knows with that one. I swear, I should have bubble wrap grafted to her skin. That girl is a walking catastrophe."

Upstairs, Bella eventually won the fierce battle with her bed sheets and staggered to her feet. "Ha!" She shouted triumphantly at her defeated blankets now lying in a crumpled pile on the floor, "I shamed your ass you pansy mother flucker!" She taunted before tripping over her discarded pillow and becoming intimately reacquainted with the floor. "Touché, my worthy foe," she grumbled as she pulled on a pair of discarded jeans and stumbled out the door with a grimace, "touché."

Cautiously, Bella made her way downstairs and into the main living quarters. She wasn't surprised to find Jacob already up and waiting for her but the sight of Charlie awake before noon when he had a choice of sleeping in was unexpected. She could distinctly hear the sounds of Emmett's loud snoring and since no one had bitched at her yet this morning she could safely assume Alice was also still asleep.

With an amused smile, she watched as he shifted frantically through the piles of supplies until he finally emerged victorious with a small black faux leather pouch clutched lovingly to his chest.

"I found it!" He waved the small bag above his head triumphantly, "I knew this was in there somewhere. You see kids," he explained seriously as he continued to wave the small treasure trove moustache grooming implements at them, "that's what can happen when you don't give up on the things you want. Eventually, with a lot of hard work and dedication you will eventually succeed and meet your goals. It's all about perseverance. If you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything your heart desires."

"Yeah, okay Dad," Bella replied with a roll of her eyes as she collapsed in the chair across from Jacob. "We'll be sure to remember that the next time we can't find out 'stache scaping kits."

Ignoring his daughter's usual sarcastic comments, Charlie turned his attention to Jacob who was trying unsuccessfully to mask his amusement. "Don't mind her," he jerked his head toward Bella's rumpled form, "she can't help it. When she was small, her brother used to like to put her in the dryer and turn it on air fluff for fun. She's never been quite right since."

"Dad," Bella groaned as she buried her scarlet face in her hands to hide her embarrassment.

"Hey the kid deserves an explanation about why all of you are the way you are, I mean I can't want him thinking it's entirely my fault. Now as for her brother," he continued turning his attention back to the grinning Jacob, "the kid always liked to gnaw on the bars of his crib like some sort of wild animal. His mother said it was normal but if you ask me-"

"Dad!" Bella shouted in protest.

"Alright, alright," Charlie conceded as he put his hands out to show he meant no harm and backed out of the room to groom the 'stache. "I'm going."

"Sorry about him," Bella mumbled from beneath the curtain of hair in which she was currently seeking refuge, "my whole family is certifiable."

"It's cool," Jacob replied with a hearty laugh, "you guys are great for keeping me entertained. With no more TV any time in the foreseeable future, you're going to be great to have around. You guys are way more entertaining than any reality show I've ever seen."

Bella sat back in her seat with an annoyed huff. "Well I'm glad we amuse you."

"Oh come on Bells, you know I'm just messing with you." Jake pushed his chair away from the small table and rose to his feet. "Now how about you throw some shoes on and come down to the road with me. We brought up the last of the supplies this morning and once the boys get back from securing the cars we're going to set the charges."

Immediately, Bella's mood brightened. There were few things in life she enjoyed more than a good explosion. In her humble opinion it ranked up there with hot pockets, a well timed 'That's what she said,' and lawn ornaments.

Springing to her feet, Bella dashed back upstairs to retrieve her favorite pair of Chucks and managed to make it back downstairs without injury. "Ready!" she announced excitedly as she skidded to a precarious halt at the bottom of the steps.

Jacob shook his head at the girl's crazy mood swings before sinking into a low bow and extending his hand. "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to a most miraculous spectacle my fair lady?"

Bella wrinkled her nose and giggles quietly before extending her hand to accept his. "I would be honored good sir," she replied in a terrible British accent.

The two friends strolled leisurely through the early morning haze toward the entrance to the road. In the distance they could see the quickly growing shapes of several people standing near the top of the road. As they drew nearer, Bella recognized Jared and Quil but not the girls standing beside them.

"Hey Jake, mornin' Bella," Quil greeted them warmly.

"Mornin'," Bella replied with a smile and a friendly wave to an exhausted looking Jared. "You guys come to watch the road get blown apart too?"

"Well we did," replied a tall girl with long black hair hanging loosely down her back, "but these guys are just getting off of their watch shift and decided to stick around."

"I'm Kim by the way," said the other slightly smaller raven haired girl as she stepped forward to shake Bella's hand, "and this is my sister Claire. You must be the Bella we've heard so much about. Jake here is always going on and on about you." Bella shook both girls' hands while she blushed cherry red knowing she had been a topic of discussion amongst the small community.

Sensing Bella's embarrassment, Jacob decided to change the subject. "So any problems last night?"

"Nope," Jared yawned. "We took over after Sam and Embry and they said everything was quiet. No zeds yet."

"Yet?" Kim squeaked, burrowing further into his side.

"Well yeah," Quil replied wearily. We're pretty confident that we won't have any problems up here but that doesn't mean we won't get any walkers out here. There's nothing keeping them contained within the cities and pretty soon they're going to start to wander. Chances are we'll get the occasional zed out our way."

"Oh," Kim mumbled looking slightly green at the thought of any zeds coming anywhere near her.

"You ready to get this show on the road?" Jared asked, "I'm about ready to crash."

"Sure, sure, " Jake replied. "Anyone still down there?"

"Nope." Claire answered, "Seth and Colin got everything all locked up and are waiting for us on the other side of the rim."

Bella frowned. "Why are they way over there?"

Jake wrapped his massive arm around her and pulled her into his side. "To watch the show of course. You didn't think we would actually stand right here to watch did you? There's bound to be a shit load of debris flying everywhere when this thing blows."

"Oh, I guess," she said with a disappointed shrug.

"Don't worry," Quil assured her, "we'll have an even better view from over there."

Appeased Bella graced him with a smile and allowed Jacob to lead her to a spot several hundred yards away where Seth, Colin, and a few other boys had set up a viewing area. After greeting everyone, the small group took their positions. Bella was glad to find that Quil had been right, this spot had a better view of the road since all of it was visible without having to stand right on the edge. Much safer.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Jacob asked Seth while passing him a small metal box with a large red button in the center.

The younger boy's dark brown eyes grew round in amazement. "Really?" he squeaked before clearing his throat," I mean really?" he repeated in a much lower voice earning him a few chuckles.

"Yeah, why not?" Jacob answered ruffling his kid brother's messy black hair.

"Hell yes!" Seth shouted before snatching the button from his brother's hand before he could change his mind. "Alright everybody ready?" he asked the group and receiving a cacophony of 'yeahs', 'yeses' and one 'get the hell on with it already, I'm fucking tired,' in reply.

Without any further hesitation he began a countdown backwards from ten but by the time he got to four he grew impatient and hurried through the numbers and slammed his fist down on the button. Suddenly, the entire mesa was rocked with a series of small earthquakes as a geyser of earth and rock shot skyward.

"Woooh!" Bella screamed in delight as the boys howled like wolves at the sight.

"Holy shit! That was- that was," Jake searched for an appropriate word to describe the sight, "fanfuckingtastic! Holy fuck!"

As the dirt settled and the dust cleared, they finally decided it was safe enough to approach the edge of the mesa and survey the damage. Eagerly, they all rushed toward the former entrance of the only road up to the mesa and found themselves having to pick their way through a minefield of boulders and fragments of sharp rock.

"Moving back from the road, definitely a smart idea," Bella remarked as she skirted around a bolder the size of a shopping cart before reaching the new edge of the mesa.

Instead of a smooth road, there was now an incline that rose upward for a few hundred meters before dropping off suddenly. It would have taken more dynamite than they had available to completely destroy the old road and since they only needed to keep any zeds or unwanted visitors from being able to reach them they had decided to bore holes deep into one section of the road, and drop the charges inside.

"No way is anyone or anything getting up that way," Jared remarked as he surveyed the damage appreciatively.

"Yeah," Bella agreed with a snort, "not unless they're Evel Knievel."

**XIX**

**XIX**

**XIX**

_I know I've said it once but I'll say it again, I'm blown away by you guys. Some of your ideas are hilarious while others are so in depth it's almost scary, mind you I say almost because let's face it people, I have obviously put way too much though into this myself. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter and you leave me some love. I would really like to hear for more of you! I'm hoping I can make it to one-hundred reviews after this chapter but I would be happy with even one. Until next time my delicious little morsels!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	20. No Way

**No Way**

**Today's song is No Way by Scott H. Biram.**

"I can't take it anymore," Jasper declared as he tore at his wavy blonde hair in agitation. "If I don't get the fuck out of this shithole soon I'm going to flip my fucking lid."

"Dude, just chill the fuck out," Rose replied while tenderly stroking Jack's sleeping blonde head. "We're perfectly safe in here."

"Yeah, for now," he argued, "but you can't fucking tell me you haven't heard the noises from outside. The pounding on the door has gotten louder every fucking day. They know we're in here and eventually they'll find a fucking way in and when they do we're fucking chow."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, "You know, I really think you're blowing this way out of proportion. There's no way they're getting in here."

"Fuck Rose," Edward growled pacing their impromptu living quarters in the middle of the store like a caged lion. "Jaspers right, our opportunity to get out of this place is almost gone. We have to make a move while we still can."

"No," Rose snapped, her blue eyes blazing, "I'm not going back out there, I just can't risk it with Jack. You don't know what it was like, I can't do it again."

"Fuck that!" Edward's voice rose and cause the sleeping child to shift uneasily in his mother's lap. "I spent three days hiding with my dog in the bathroom before I fought my way out of Austin and Jasper- well I'm sure Jasper had shit happen to him too."

Jasper nodded his head rapidly in agreement but offered no verbal explanation of what exactly what he had been through.

"Oh boo fucking hoo," Rosalie taunted nastily. "You and your pathetic pooch had to snuggle together for a few days before you made it out without a scratch, cry me a fucking river. You don't even know what bad is you fucking cry baby."

Edward bristled at her condescending attitude. "Oh and I suppose you do?" he challenged angrily.

"Yeah, I do," she spat.

"What the fuck ever," Edward replied with a dismissive roll of his eyes. "I assume you were shopping when the infection hit and so you just decided to hole up here. Real fucking hard Rose. Hole up in a warehouse that has everything you could possibly need while the rest of the world goes to shit. Yeah, you know what bad is."

"Fuck you Cullen," she snapped. "You don't know anything about what we've been through. You can't even begin to imagine what a clusterfuck this has been for us."

Edward shook his head in disbelief at her dramatics. He had learned long ago that everything that happened to Rosalie Hale tended to be bigger and more dramatic than anything that anyone else ever experienced.

"Really Rosalie? Well then, why don't you enlighten us?"

Rosalie straightened her back and glared at the cocky man still pacing before her. "You think you've had it hard surviving for the past week? Well you don't know shit Cullen! You hid in your fucking bathroom for three days. Try hiding in your apartment with almost no food with a frightened child for three weeks, three fucking weeks! I had to climb out of a third story window with a terrified child on my back after the fucking zeds broke through the front door while I was sleeping. Jack had to fight for his fucking life because he couldn't wake me up. Do you have any idea what that's like? Watching someone you love fight to survive?" She didn't give him a chance to answer. "No," she laughed in disgust, "I don't suppose you do since I'm fairly certain you don't even know what love is."

Edward opened his mouth to defend himself but thought better of it. Rosalie had a point, he had no clue what it was like to watch someone he loved fight for their lives. She had his number and she knew it too. Every time they had interacted since he had gotten here she had made some sort of remark about what an unfeeling bastard he was and honestly he couldn't really blame her, she was one-hundred percent correct. He really was a heartless son of a bitch.

Ignoring Edward's gaping mouth, Rosalie continued her story. "After we got out of the apartment I had to steal a car, which coincidentally was soaked in the blood if it's previous owners, just great for a traumatized child. I got us out of our neighborhood but then there was nowhere for us to go. We don't have any family here and the air force had bombed large portions of the city after the barricades were overrun but eventually the explosions stopped so I didn't know if I could even go to the base. This was my only choice. I couldn't think of anywhere else to take him where he would be safe," she whispered tenderly while she stroked the sleeping child's head tenderly.

"You may have seen some fucked up shit Cullen," she said while still staring lovingly at her entire reason for living," I'm sure anyone who has survived has, but don't you dare belittle what we've been through."

After Rosalie finishing speaking, the warehouse was silent save for the ever increasing pounding upon the store's reinforced front doors as the two men mulled over her words. Neither had imagined the tenacious blonde and her towheaded son had been through so much and both were cowed by her story.

Finally after considering her story for several minutes, curiosity got the best of him and Jasper just had to know."What do you mean you hid for three weeks?" he asked nervously.

He was slightly afraid that she would lay into him the same way he had watched her rip into Edward repeatedly for the past few days over the tiniest things. Edward had mentioned offhandedly that he had almost killed her best friend but he never explained further and Jasper wasn't the type who would press for more information. Whatever happened in the past between Edward and Rosalie obviously explained why she hated him but Jasper wasn't sure where he stood. He was wary of the armed woman and hoped that he wouldn't be perceived as guilty by association.

"The infection hasn't been around for that long. Far as I knew it's only maybe been around for a week or two."

Rosalie regarded her son for a moment more before explaining. "It's been around much longer than you think, the government obviously did a good job of keeping it under wraps until it was too late. This," she gestured around her, "is ground zero, this is where it started. I don't know what happened so don't ask but I do know that about a month ago the first reports about the infection hit the local news but were snuffed out quickly. There were whispers around town about increased military activity but no one really knew anything. Even when the outbreak really started they never told us anything, we never had a chance to escape," she declared bitterly.

"Next thing I know, the mailman is trying to eat me and all sources of information and all methods of communication are completely cut off. I tried to warn -," she paused and regarded Edward coldly, "people, but I couldn't get through. That was weeks ago. I watched through the window as my neighbors were ripped to shreds and then got back up. When the zombie somehow managed to get into the house, it was the first time I had actually slept in almost three weeks, that's why Jack couldn't wake me. Thank god I taught him out to use a gun or we would both be de-."

Rosalie suddenly stopped speaking and jerked her head to the left when the small group heard the unmistakable sound of a door opening and closing. Wide eyed, the adults silently stared at one another for a fraction of a second before scrambling to their feet. Edward and Jasper each reached for the nearest thing they could use as weapons while Rosalie checked her gun and got a better hold of Jack who had just begun to stir.

"Mom," his sleepy voice protested, "I don't wanna," he whined before encircling his mother's neck in a choke hold as a particularly grotesque former member of the human race came shuffling into view. "Mom."

"Shhh Jack," Rose soothed as she pulled the gun she had threatened Edward with only days earlier out of the waistband of her jeans. "It's okay, just close your eyes baby and everything is going to be alright. I promise, I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Jack immediately complied, hiding his face in his mother's shoulder as she calmly took aim and fired straight into the forehead of the zed, felling it immediately as another stumbled into view.

"What the fuck?" Edward shouted as he took a mighty swing at the head of another zed. "How the fuck did they get in here?"

"I don't know," Rosalie shouted as she dodged the spray of gore coming off the backswing of Jasper's Grab-It. "All the doors are closed."

"Shit, there's too many," Edward panted. "Rose, hand jack to Jasper so they can climb the shelves then follow them up, I'll hold them off."

"What? No!" She protested as she clutched the frightened child tighter.

"Just fucking do it Rosalie!" Edward commanded as he took another swing. "You and I both know you can't climb those shelves with him on you back. Besides, I'm going to need you to cover me with the gun while I climb."

Although he had a good point, she was still hesitant to release her child until she caught sight of the new wave of undead streaming unfettered into the warehouse.

"Alright, take him," she commanded, shoving Jack into Jasper's arms. "You had better not let anything happen to him or dead or alive I will hunt you down and torture you until you beg for death."

"Yes ma'am," Jasper replied before swinging the small boy onto his back and beginning to climb.

As he climbed, Rosalie took aim and fired into the growing crowd before Edward ordered her to save her bullets and climb god dammit. Not needing any further encouragement, Rosalie whirled around and began scaling the large metal shelves.

"Pass me the gun!" Jasper shouted from a level above her.

"No, there's no time," she argued as she took up a position of the second level. She was still too low to be safe but the number of undead was quickly growing and Edward's strength was rapidly fading. "Climb Cullen!" She shouted before picking off a zed that had almost manage to take a chunk out of him. "I've got you covered."

Needing no further encouragement, Edward took a final swing at the nearest zombie before dropping his nine iron and scrambling up a tower of Vienna sausages while Rose expertly picked of anything that got too close.

"What are you doing?" he demanded angrily once he reached her. "Fucking climb!"

"Well that's a fine thank you," Rosalie griped as she once again tucked the gun securely into the waistband of her jeans and began to climb.

After being reunited with and antsy Jasper and a crying Jack who had to be assured it was now alright for him to open his eyes, the adults turned their attention to the growing problem down below.

"I don't understand how the fuck they got in here," Edward mused, running his hand distractedly through his unkempt hair as he stared down at the milling horde of undead. "The front doors are still blocked and there's no way for them to have come in from the auto care center or through the loading docks. I can't think of another way in."

"Air vents?" Jasper suggested as he observed the crowd milling aimlessly about now that their desired food source was nowhere to be found.

"Na, I saw those on my way in. They were on the roof and there's no way a zed could reach it without a ladder."

"There is one other door," Rosalie supplied as she rocked the now hiccupping Jack comfortingly. "An side door near the pet supplies, its how Jack and I got in but it's nearly impossible to open from the outside since it has no handle. Besides, I made sure I was locked after we came inside."

Edward tugged at his hair while he considered how the zeds could have gotten in. He knew if Rose was right then the only way anything could have gotten in would have been for someone to open a door but none of them would have been that stupid…

"Jack," Edward breathed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "how did you know to open the door to the Auto Center for Jasper and I?"

"Edward," Rosalie warned.

"Huh, you know, I've kinda been wondering the same thing myself," Jasper remarked distractedly while watching two zombies trying to attack a cardboard cutout of a Costco employee.

Jack sniffed and regarded the two men warily from his perch in his mother's lap. "I peeked," he mumbled before hiding behind a shiny curtain of his mother's long golden hair.

"Jack Zebulon Hale," Rosalie scolded as she gently pulled the boy off of her lap and forced him to stand before her. "Why would you do that? You know how dangerous it is out there."

"I-," Rosalie grabbed his chin and forced him to look her in the eye. "I was lonely. You were busy looking for something and I just wanted to see outside, just for a minute so I peeked and saw Mr. Ed's car so I opened the garage," he admitted as tears streaked down his face. "I'm sorry, it was an accident."

Rosalie took a deep, calming breath before saying anything. She knew the past few weeks had been incredibly hard on Jack who was normally such an active child and she really couldn't blame him and neither could Edward or Jasper since his mistake had effectively saved their lives.

"Come here," she said while pulling the weeping child back onto her lap and wrapping her arms around him. "You know what you did was wrong don't you."

He nodded his head solemnly, "I know mommy. I'm sorry."

"It's alright Jack. At least you only opened it that one time. Right?" She asked as he once again hung his head. "Jack?"

"Me and Sammy peeked again today while we were getting his bones. But only for a teensy tiny second. Then we came right back when you called us for dinner."

"Oh Jack," Rosalie leaned her head on his small shoulder in exasperation, "what am I going to do with you?"

"Never mind that," Jasper interrupted. "We need to figure out how to get the fuck out of here before any more of these things show up." He pointed toward the crowd. "I've counted five new zeds in the last ten minutes."

"He's right," Edward agreed. "It would be too dangerous for us to make a move now since it's the middle of the night but as soon as the sun comes up we need a plan. There is no way I'm living off," he picked up the nearest box and read the label, "Graisse de Canard Gold Rendered Duck Fat. What the fuck?" Dropped the box as though it had burned him, "who eats that shit?"

"I don't know dude," Jasper said examining another package, "I mean its gluten free, trans fat free, and lactose free so it can't be so bad."

"Hello," Rosalie snapped to get their attention, "can we get back to the problem at hand?"

"Oh, right," Edward said running his hand sheepishly through his hair. "Any ideas on how to get out of here?

Rosalie shook her head. "Don't look at me, I've got nothing."

"Alright well Jazz, any ideas?"

Jasper was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "I think the only way out of here is to make a run for it. Our best bet is to somehow distract the zeds while we get into the Auto Care center and get the car. There should be just enough gas to get us past the city limits and then hopefully we can find a gas station or something."

"What about food?" Edward asked.

"There's a truck full of canned goods and god only knows what else in the loading dock," Rosalie offered. "If we can get into the cab we could take it with us."

Jasper nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good idea but let's not bank on it. Right now we need to focus on getting out of here alive, then if we're able we can try to get the truck."

The trio spent the rest of the night keeping a watchful eye on the unfortunate masses below while they plotted their escape as Jack slept fitfully in his mother's lap. When dawn broke, Rosalie roused the sleeping child and filled him in on what he needed to do before getting into position.

"Alright, everybody ready?" Jasper asked.

"Ready," Rosalie answered as she gripped Jack's hand tightly within her own.

"Edward, you ready man?" Jasper called but received no response. "Edward?" he called again.

"Yeah I'm here but I have one question before we do this shit."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Where the fuck is my dog?"

**XX**

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_Another chapter down. Let me just tell y'all I loved all the reviews I got! Thank you all so much for your support and pimps on this story I really appreciate it and I'm so happy so many of you are loving the story. I also wanted to say that I'm sorry some of you are getting impatient for Edward and Bella to meet up but it's going to be awhile. You're just going to have to wait like good little taters to see what happens. Leave me a review and tell me what you think!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	21. All Alone In An Empty House

**All Alone In An Empty House**

**Today's song is All Alone In An Empty House by Lost In The Trees.**

"Do you think dinosaurs used to watch each other have sex?"

"What?" Bella asked in confusion. She was usually a master at deciphering whatever convoluted ideas her older brother came up with but this line of thought had definitely caught her off guard.

"Just think about it for a minute," Emmett urged her seriously. "If you were to come across two tyrannosauruses going at it in the woods wouldn't you stop to watch?"

She considered it for a second as she resumed carrying crates of bottled water into one of the houses being used for food storage. "Eh, I guess," she shrugged as she stacked the flats. "But for purely scientific purposes only, I am not a perv."

"Whatever, we all know that's not true." He dismissed with a shake of his head before training his eyes on Jacob's sweaty form as he entered the cool building. "What about you man? Would you watch two dinosaurs going at it?"

Jacob hefted a large sack of grain out of his wheelbarrow and onto the growing pile."Hell no. I'd get out of there as fast as I could without being seen, I wouldn't want to be some kind of post coital snack."

"Wimp," Emmett taunted. "I'd totally tape that shit and post it on the internet."

"Alright I'm going to have to stop you right there," Bella piped up as she tried to catch her breath. "You've just taken a hypothetical situation and made it absolutely ridiculous. Where the hell did you get this camera from and

Emmett rolled his eyes at his little sister's lack of imagination. "Well if I'm watching dinosaurs do the nasty I've obviously figured out time travel so why couldn't I have a camera with me."

Bella stared at her brother for a moment in disbelief. "You really are a moron you know that?"

"Says the girl who believed aliens were going to come out of a Santa Claus piñata and kill us all."

"Hey!" Bella protested. "I was five and you had just forced me to watch the scene in Alien where it bursts out of the guy's chest. Excuse me for being frightened."

"But a Santa piñata?"

"Don't judge me Emmett the thing was creepy. Besides, you were the wet the bed until you were eight." She seethed as she engaged her giant of a brother in a staring contest.

"Hey , hey!" Jacob shouted as he stepped between the two siblings. "Let's cut this shit out, there's a lot of work to do around here and you two fighting isn't going to make it go any easier."

Bella and Emmett continued to stare one another down for a few moments more until Emmett finally blinked and broke eye contact. "Fine" he conceded unhappily. "I have watch in a few minutes anyway. And you," he said rounding on Jacob, "not one word of this ever leaves this room capiche?"

"Yeah sure, you got it man," Jacob agreed readily as he and Bella watched silently as the large man walked into the sunlight outside of the small room in a huff.

"A Santa piñata?" Jacob laughed in disbelief as soon as Emmett was out of earshot earning him a swat on the arm from Bella.

"Shut up," she grumbled before following in Emmett's footsteps and stepping into the heat of the day. "I'm sure you've done some embarrassing shit too."

"Sure I have," Jacob admitted as he came jogging up behind her. Without breaking his stride, he threw her over his shoulder causing her to shriek in surprise and pound her fists on his back in protest. "I just make sure anyone who knows about it is too afraid to talk."

"Oh well, why didn't I think of that?"Bella laughed as she was carried through the village.

She felt Jacob's chuckle rumble through his large chest. "I guess it just goes to show I'm the brains of this outfit."

"Is that so?" Bella asked as Jacob slid her down his front and placed her safely on the ground outside of his house.

"It would appear that way yeah."

Bella ran her hand through her wayward hair. "I'll just have to remember that then."

He nodded his head as he motioned for her to enter the house in front of him. "That's probably a good idea."

Bella stepped into the cool house and immediately settled into an old leather chair and made herself comfortable as Jacob dragged over his own chair and a pile of papers. Carefully, he arranged the assortment of maps and lists on the table in front of them.

Bella studied a map covered in handwritten notes and dates. "Is this, is this accurate?" she asked in awe.

"Near as we can tell," Jake replied seriously, all joking aside. "It seems to have started here," he pointed to a large red star on the map near their location, "before it began to spread. You can see from the dates that it was contained for about a week before it began spreading like wildfire. Before we lost communication it had already reached here, here, and here."

Bella silently traced her finger over the path the infection had taken. From Jacob's map it appeared to have popped up over a month ago only sixty miles or so from their current location before spreading to every major city in the country within weeks. If this map was correct by now the entire country had been infected and it was only a matter of time before it reached foreign shores.

"Any news from down south?" she asked.

"Nothing. We lost communication before any of us thought to check on the situation in Mexico but you can bet if it reached Tucson it has surely made it over the border."

"Shit," Bella breathed in disbelief. "I never thought it would move this fast."

"None of us did," Jacob agreed. "Don't beat yourself up over what could have been, none of what happened was any of your fault. The government tried so hard to keep what was happening a secret none of us had any idea this was happening until it was already too late. Cutting off all forms of communication in the infected cities was really the nail in our coffins. Maybe if people had known what was coming they could have prepared or some shit. Hell, I tried to call you for days until I realized the cell towers had been shut down and you had the satellite phone."

Bella closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she remembered the faces of all those infected she had encountered along the way. If they had been given half a chance maybe some of them would have survived but that opportunity had been taken from them.

"You're right," she agreed sadly. "I know it's not my fault but I just can't help but feel guilty. Maybe it's survivor's guilt, I don't know. There were just so many better people who could have survived."

Jacob slammed his fist down on the wooden table causing Bella to jump. "Don't you fucking dare say that shit again," he seethed. "If it weren't for you and your crazy fucking plan we'd all be dead. Don't tell me there was someone better who could have survived because that just makes me feel like shit."

"Jake I didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant Bells," he ground out angrily, "but if you didn't deserve to survive then there is no way in hell I deserve to still be here and as selfish as it may be I can't seem to find it in me to regret surviving so let's just agree to drop this depressing self deprecating bullshit okay."

"Okay," she agreed ready to be done with the conversation. "Um so what's this?" she asked pointing to a series of lists.

Jacob let himself relax as he began to explain the inventory sheets he had been making. While he had waited for Bella he had gone house to house and inventoried the contents of each looking for food, weapons, medicine, etc. On his sheets he had listed the quantity of each item, where it could be found, if it had an expiration date, and in the case of the medicine who needed each prescription. He had even gone so far as to research the uses, dosage information, and possible side effects of each prescription.

"This is really-"

"Nerdy. I know," Jacob admitted with an embarrassed shrug. "I just figured better safe than sorry you know? "

"I was going to say thorough," Bella argued, "and I'm impressed. You've done a really great job looking after your people Jake."

Jacob pushed his chair back from the table and rose to his feet. Without a word he began agitatedly pacing he small room before gripping the top of the door frame leading outside and taking stock of what was left of his village.

Acoma had once boasted a population of nearly two-thousand inhabitants in the general area with about fifty of them living atop the mesa in the ancient dwellings of Sky City before the infection had struck. Now the tribe's population had been reduced to something nearer to one-hundred with only thirty choosing to live atop the mesa.

The majority of the tribe had chosen to attend the state basketball tournament in Albuquerque when the infection had hit. Jacob, Seth, and their friends had chosen to stay behind and go four wheeling instead, much to their father's dismay.

Billy Black had always felt his sons should show their support for their community in any way possible and was not happy about their decision not to support the local high school by attending the tournament but he had chosen not to press the issue. The last time Jacob had heard from his father it has been through a brief phone call during which his father called to transfer leadership of the tribe to his eldest son as he fought for his last breath.

As far as Jacob knew no one had made it out of the city alive, leaving it up to him to defend the lives of his people from further annihilation. It was a responsibility that weighed heavily upon the normally carefree young man's shoulders. He felt responsible for the unnecessary deaths of his people and although he was rational enough to know that if he had attended the game he too would have most likely met his end, he couldn't help but consider the ever present what ifs. All he knew for sure was that without the help of one Miss Isabella Swan, he would be truly lost, she was the only reason he had managed to keep his head and prepare his people as best he could for the coming hardships they were sure to face.

"Shit Jake!" Bella shouted excitedly before jumping to her feet and knocking the chair over in her haste. "Did you hear that? It sounds like an engine!"

Jacob stared at her blankly, unable to comprehend her words as she squeezed her small body through the doorframe past his much larger one.

"Em!" she began shouting as she clumsily jogged toward her brother's lookout post. "Em what is it?"

Emmett lowered a pair of binoculars from his face and wiped the sweat from his brow before pointing to an approaching cloud of dust. "Looks like a truck or a van of some sort but its kinda hard to tell with the cloud of dust its kicking up."

He passed the binoculars to his sister's impatient hands. Eagerly, she snatched them from her brother and raised them to her face only to lower them again a moment later in disappointment. "I can't tell either," she sighed before passing them on to Jacob.

"Huh, well I definitely wasn't expecting that," he remarked a moment later.

"What?" Bella asked as she snatched the binoculars back and began scanning the horizon.

"Well shit," Emmett laughed, "I never would have expected that either."

"What?" Bella demanded impatiently as she stared at the rapidly approaching dust cloud.

"Don't you here it Bells?" Jacob laughed.

"Here wh- oh. Oh! You've got to be fudging me!" she shouted in disbelief before erupting in a fit of giggles as she heard the tell tale strains of music echoing across the open desert.

Emmett grabbed the binoculars back with a chuckle. "Nope. What we've got heading our way is an honest to goodness Good Humor truck."

He was silent for a few moments while they regarded the approaching truck before he dropped to his knees, clasped his large hands together and looked toward the heavens. "Dear God, please let them still have some of those amazingly delicious Strawberry Shortcake bars and perhaps, if you're feeling particularly generous, a Chocolate Éclair bar or two," he prayed so seriously that Jacob and Bella couldn't help the peals of laughter that shook their bodies until they collapsed into a panting pile on the warm earth.

**XXI**

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_Sorry it took so long, midterms were a beast! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially the dinosaur conversation which is word for word an actual conversation I had the other day, quite random but oh so Emmett. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think and I promise you'll all find out about Sammy soon!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	22. Esmeralda

**Esmeralda**

**Today's song is Esmeralda by The Mother Hips.**

"Em- Emmett," Bella gasped out between laughs, "Oh god it hurts," she moaned as she clutched her sides as she continued to try and stop the laughter that kept bubbling to the surface. "Holy Christ you are such a ra-tard."

"Ra-tard?" Jacob parroted breathlessly before curling into the fetal position and shaking with laughter.

Emmett rose seriously from his knees and dusted off his pants before fixing the two chuckling assholes with the stern glare he had perfected by studying Charlie for so many years. He briefly considered trying to grow his own moustache before coming back to reality.

"You two cackling butt nuggets go on and have your laugh but when I'm swimming neck deep in frozen confections and you're gagging for some sweet relief that will never come well, we'll just see who's laughing then."

Instantly, Bella's mouth clamped tightly shut and her terrified eyes shot to her older brother. The withholding of sugary goodness was no laughing matter especially if it was frozen. She couldn't help it if ice cream of any sort was her Achilles heel.

"You wouldn't," she challenged warily.

He crossed his well muscled arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh wouldn't I?"

Sensing a change in the atmosphere, Jacob's laughter began to die down as he watched the show down between the giant and his ball busting sister. The Swans really were better than cable it was just too bad he didn't have any popcorn.

Bella looked up from under her eyelashes and fixed her older brother with her best puss in boots stare. "But Emmy," she pouted looking as despondent as possible, "you know how much I love, love, love ice cream. Won't you share even a little bit?" She held up her thumb and forefinger to demonstrate just how small an amount she would need.

Emmett's face softened for a moment before it hardened again. "Nope," he shook his head decisively. "No way you're pulling that crap on me again Isabella, you and Alice have pulled that on me one too many times, it's not gonna work."

"Please Emmy bear?" she clasped her hands together pleadingly. "I wuv you," she sang as she made her eyes impossibly rounder.

Emmett's eyes began to twitch as his resolve crumbled under his sister's assault. "Well maybe just a little," he conceded, opening his arms wide for a hug.

Instead, Bella dropped her hands to her sides and smirked with satisfaction. "That's what I thought bitch."

"Dude!" Jacob exclaimed appreciatively as he struggled to choke back the laughter that threatened to escape. A dark look from a shocked Emmett was all it took to quell the laughter but it couldn't squash his amusement. Emmett might be the big one but it was obvious which sibling had all of the control in their relationship. It was priceless to watch such a large man get owned so easily by such a small woman.

"Whatever," Emmett grumbled darkly as he looked away toward the swiftly approaching vehicle. "So tell me oh mistress of darkness," he rolled his eyes, "what should we do about that?" he gestured toward the road.

Bella hesitated for a moment as she surveyed the interlopers. "Go down and meet them I guess," she shrugged.

"Sounds like a plan," Jacob agreed. "We should probably run back to the house and grab some gun-," he trailed off as both Swans distractedly withdrew handguns from the waistbands of their jeans as they continued to watch the truck's approach. "Okay," he said slowly, "so maybe I should run back to the house and get a gun, just in case and while I'm there I'll let everyone know what's up so they can cover us."

Bella and Emmett nodded in agreement but never took their eyes off of the road. With a shrug, Jacob turned and ran back toward his house to retrieve his gun and alert Sam and the rest of the village about the events that were unfolding below.

"You don't think it's full of zeds do you?" Emmett asked seriously.

Bella closed her eyes. "The bars of your crib had lead based paint didn't they? Yeah Em, I'm sure several of the undead were able to hotwire an ice cream truck and drive it all the way out here just for the hell of it. Seriously? Haven't you noticed they can't even figure out how to use a doorknob?"

"Oh, yeah I guess you're right," he replied rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as the tops of his ears turned pink. "But, uh, do you think whoever it is is dangerous?"

Bella thought about it for a second before answering. "No," she replied slowly with a shake of her head, "I don't think so. We're kinda far out of the way to be raided, especially so soon. Besides, I doubt anyone really knows we're out here."

"I'm back," Jacob panted as he bent over to catch his breath. "Sam and Seth are going to cover the staircase while everyone else watches from the cliffs but uh, Charlie is pretty pissed that you're both going down there without him so I think we should get down the staircase before he gets out here. Jared was going to try to stall him but who knows how long we have." Needing no further encouraging, both Swans exchanged a knowing glance before they scrambled toward the entrance to the hidden staircase. There was no way they were missing out on this because of Charlie's overprotective nature.

The ancient staircase down the side of the mesa was really a series of old handholds and worn stone steps carved deep into the side of the rock which after the road had been built had been only used by tourists during their tours of the ancient village. Unless one knew exactly where to look, the staircase was easily hidden from the road so there was no fear the driver would spot them on the way down.

Emmett confidently led the way down the stairs while Jacob watched nervously as Bella gingerly took the steps one at a time. It wasn't a very hard climb but with Bella's tendency to trip over air it was a perilous one and with a large rifle strapped across his back he wasn't sure how good he would be at catching her should she fall.

After a few minutes of silent descent, they reached the bottom of the stairs and Jacob let out a silent sigh of relief. He was far more worried that Bella would slip on a loose rock and fall down the long staircase than he was about their mysterious visitors.

"So, what's the plan oh illustrious leader?" Jacob asked.

Bella shrugged. "No plan really. Let's just go out to meet the car and see what they want. After that we can just play it from ear. Cool?" she asked her companions as they trekked around the side of the mesa toward the bottom of the old road.

"I guess," Emmett replied as he once again withdrew his handgun from his waistband and took off the safety and practiced aiming it as they walked.

"Jake?" she asked.

"I'm good with that." He unslung his rifle and checked it over thoroughly before also engaging in a round of imaginary target practice with Emmett.

"Alright, well I guess I'll do the talking then," Bella said with a roll of her eyes at the guys' blatant show of masculinity. Boys and their toys, she thought dryly before focusing her attention back on the ice cream truck which had now almost reached the visitor's center.

The trio watched silently as the truck stopped at the abandoned visitor's center before continuing on toward their impromptu blockade at the bottom of the mesa.

"Alright, here they come. Remember," Bella warned, "let me do the talking. You two just stand there and look menacing and please for the love of all that is good and holy, try not to do anything stupid."

Emmett gasped in mock shock, "Moi?"

"Yeah you especially," Bella replied seriously with a shake of her finger. "Jake, if he does anything particularly boneheaded, you have my permission to shoot him. Now shut up and look intimidating, here they come."

Catching sight of the armed guards, the ice cream truck slowed to a gradual stop, its jolly music blaring loudly across the empty landscape.

With a determined look, Bella stepped forward toward the driver's side window and gestured for it to be rolled down. As the dust streaked window lowered slowly, her mind was playing out a series of equally likely and unlikely scenarios but none of them prepared her for the tense and dirty yet shockingly friendly and effortlessly beautiful fate that greeted her.

"Hello," the woman said sweetly as she turned off the truck and the tinny music faded away to nothing. "Oh thank god," she sighed in relief. "I was going absolutely insane listening to that crap. Anyway, I'm Dr. Esmeralda Platt," she extended her hand toward an amused Bella, "but please, call me Esme."

Bella reached out and shook her hand. "I'm Bella Swan and over there is my brother Emmett," she gestured over her shoulder toward the grinning man who saluted with his gun, "and my friend, Jacob Black." Jacob nodded his head in greeting but kept his emotions in check and off of his face.

"Nice to meet you," Esme replied sweetly. "So I guess it would seem my source was correct, there really is some kind of stronghold out here."

"You knew we'd be out here?" Bella asked curiously.

"Yes," Esme nodded her head emphatically, "my upstairs neighbor, or I suppose former neighbor god rest her soul," she corrected grimly, "suggested we head out here when the infection hit but once things got really bad and communication was cut off we lost contact since out apartment complex was overrun. After weeks of hiding, I was able to escape out my kitchen window and commandeer that stupid truck before heading out here. I've been on the road ever since only stopping to collect samples whenever the opportunity arose."

Jacob's head snapped up. "Samples?"

"Ice cream samples?" Emmett asked hopefully.

"Uh no," Esme replied, "although there is still ice cream in the truck I'm pretty sure you don't want to eat it."

"Psh," Emmett waved her off as he jogged eagerly toward the back of the truck and threw the doors open. "I don't care if it's half melted," he shouted as he climbed into the back of the truck, "I'll eat pretty much anyth- mother of fuck!" His muffled voice shouted from inside. "What kind of sick fucking freak are you?"

"Em?" Bella called worriedly as she jumped up and moved toward the back of the truck only to be met by the green tinged face of her brother. "Are you alright?"

Emmett nodded his head silently before jumping out of the van and vomiting spectacularly in the chamisa bushes dotting the desert landscape.

"What the hell Em?" she shouted as she jumped out of the way of any potential back splatter.

"Don't- don't go in there," he panted before once again doubling over and heaving into the bushes.

Disregarding her brother's advice as she usually did, Bella climbed into the back of the truck and looked around. Nothing seemed amiss it looked just like the inside of an ice cream truck should with the exception of a pile of clothes and a box that appeared to be filled with microscopes and other devices, nothing that would cause Emmett's intense reaction. With a frown she strode toward the open cooler, and recoiled immediately after peering inside.

"Ugh," she grunted taking a step back in disgust. "That's just gross." After a moment she hesitantly leaned forward again and peered back into the cooler and took stock of its contents.

Nestled neatly between the boxes of Chocolate Éclair bars and Fudge Pops were several freezer baggies filled with what appeared to be brain matter and if that weren't bad enough the severed head staring blankly back at her was certainly enough to put her off Strawberry Shortcake bars for awhile.

Bella bit her lip and steeled herself against any squeamish tendencies before reaching into the bin of death and retrieving one of the Ziploc baggies in question. Willing herself not to look, she jumped back out of the truck and walked toward a flustered looking Esme.

"Care to explain this Dr. Platt?" she asked holding the bag aloft.

"I know it looks bad but they're, um, samples," Esme explained nervously shifting from one foot to the other. "I'm um, trying to find the cause of the outbreak by studying the brains of the infected."

"And the severed head in the freezer?" she demanded.

"Merely a sample I haven't gotten a chance to extract."

"Ugh," Jacob said while poking the contents of the bag with the muzzle of his gun, "gross."

"Would you stop it?" Bella snapped batting the gun away before turning back to Esme. "So that's what you meant about collecting samples then?" she asked.

Esme nodded. "Yes. The fresher the sample the better. I took my time getting here because I was trying to collect samples from those infected early on as well as those infected more recently. I'm trying to determine if this was caused by a virus and if so whether there are different strains. So far my work has been, slow but I'm starting to get some inconclusive results."

Emmett asked as he emerged from the bushes looking pale and pointedly avoided looking at the grisly package dangling from Bella's hand. "So you're looking for a cure then?"

Esme frowned. "Unfortunately those infected really are dead and something else is animating their bodies so a cure wouldn't do them any good. What I'm looking for some sort of vaccine for the living. If I can make those still living immune to this we might have a chance at survival. Right now the infection seems to be spread mostly through bites but my greatest fear is that it will go airborne and if that happens before I can find some sort of vaccine we're all doomed but first I have to find somewhere that I can do my research in safety."

The trio communicated silently over Esme's head before nodding in agreement. "Alright," Bella conceded, "you can stay with us. We have enough supplies to last awhile as well as the safety provided by the cliffs. There's no electricity but we do have a few generators available to help with your work. Our fuel is limited but if you're working on something that might save us all we're certainly willing to do whatever it takes to help you."

A genuine smile graced Esme's face. "Thank you all so much you don't know how grateful I am for your hospitality. I swear, I'll pull my own weight and I'll do whatever it takes to stop this from spreading. I promise you won't regret this," she gushed happily.

After a brief standoff, Bella eventually forced the guys help Esme load her materials into boxes, save for the severed head which Esme wrapped in a garbage bag and insisted on carrying herself while Bella carried the weapons. After emptying the van of all perishables and storing it with the rest of the vehicles, the foursome began the long climb up the stone staircase.

"So Esme," Bella panted from her position at the rear of their impromptu convoy as she climbed, "I'm curious. You said your neighbor told you to head out here. How the heck did he come up with this place?"

"She," Esme corrected quietly. "My neighbor was a female. She and her sweet little boy lived above me and when the infection first hit this was the first place she suggested we go, I'm not sure how she came up with it thought."

"Huh," Bella furrowed her brow as she felt a sinking feeling in her gut, "this is kind of a weird place to just come up with." She was silent for a moment before asking a question she was almost certain she wouldn't like the answer to. "Esme, what, uh, what were your neighbor's names?" She asked quietly.

"Hale," Esme answered sadly, "Jack and Rosalie Hale."

"Oh," Bella whispered as she suddenly lost her footing and tumbled backwards down the staircase.

**XXII**

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_Thank you all so much for your great reviews and all the adds! I love you all and I absolutely LOVE hearing from you! Please keep it up! I would also like to thank whoever rec'd this story to TwiFic Pimps, this is going to be one of the Pimped stories this week and I am SOOOOOO excited so thank you! As always let me know what you think and any ideas you have for a zombie survival strategy, I really get a kick out of reading some of them! Have a great night and remember, don't let the zombies bite!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	23. All Medicated Geniuses

**All Medicated Geniuses**

**Today's song is All Medicated Geniuses by Pretty Girls Make Graves.**

"Where the fuck is my dog?" Edward demanded again as he carefully scanned the zombie infested warehouse for any sign of his faithful companion.

"Dude," Jasper replied sadly, "I haven't seen Sammy in awhile, like before any of this shit even went down."

"Neither have I," Rosalie added. "Jack have you seen Sammy?"

Jack shook his golden head and fixed Edward with his bright blue eyes. "No, I'm really super duper sorry Mr. Ed," he apologized sincerely.

"Crap," Edward muttered darkly as he contemplated the very possible reality that Sammy was gone for good.

"Alright," he said in a voice that commanded the attention of his companions, "hopefully we'll find Sammy running around somewhere but right we need to move quickly and stick with the plan. Is everyone ready?" Jasper shrugged but nodded and Rosalie answered with a terse yes as she clutched Jack's small hand more firmly in her own. "Alright then, wait for the signal and be careful."

With a steadying breath, Edward steeled himself for what was to come before moving quickly from level to level until he reached the floor to the floor. As soon as he hit the cement, he immediately regained possession of his golf club before he pushed off and began sprinting toward his target. The path he had chosen was fairly clear and for that he was incredibly thankful. While he ran he swung his golf club wildly, delivering staggering blows to the skulls of his would be attackers. As soon as he reached his target, he threw the golf club up ahead of him before clambering up the orange shelves to safety.

From a few rows over he could hear Jack's encouraging cheers as he climbed to the top level of the giant shelving unit. He had to give the kid credit. If it hadn't been for the child's keen eyes, they probably would never have found such an excellent source of distraction for their escape.

It was the boy's seemingly random questions about T.N.T and Looney Tunes that led Edward to search for what may have sparked the child's train of thought. After failing miserably to find any Looney Tunes paraphernalia that could have led to the particular line of questioning currently being addressed by a stressed Rosalie and an overly amused Jasper, Jack's small finger pointed him in the right direction.

At some point, while he was determinedly avoiding looking down at the ravenous horde below, Jack's eyes had landed upon a stack of multicolored boxes with bright yellow writing gracing the sides. Jack had found the store's stash of T.N.T. fireworks, just waiting for a Fourth of July celebration that would never come.

Edward had never wanted to hug the child as badly as he did once he realized what Jack's small finger was pointing toward. He of course restrained himself from doing so, no need to look like a wimp in front of Jasper or Rosalie.

After a brief discussion it was decided, fireworks would be an excellent distraction during their flight and with that their plan of escape was hashed out over the course of the next few hours.

With a grunt, Edward finally managed to tear the industrial strength plastic wrapping from around the boxes. He then began to rip and tear into the assortment of packages he found within as quickly as he was able. Time was of the essence as every moment wasted was another opportunity for the flesh hungry mob to multiply.

"Ready Jasper?" Edward shouted, catching the attention of several nearby zeds, as he put the last of the fireworks into place.

"As I'll ever be man," he shouted back eliciting another excited cacophony of moans and shrieks from below.

"Alright," Edward said to himself, "let's get this shit over with."

Crouching down, he withdrew his faithful Misfits Zippo lighter from the back pocket of his jeans and flipped it open. With series of practiced motions, he ignited the small flame and set it to the wicks of a pile of fireworks he had bundled together. As soon as the wicks caught, he tossed the pile as hard as he could toward the opposite side of the large store since the success of their plan depended on drawing the zeds toward the opposite side of the store long enough to allow the small group to escape.

As Edward proceeded to light another bundle of fireworks, he heard a series of large echoing crashes coming from a few aisles away. Jasper had begun knocking down anything he could get his hands on. The idea was that not only would it create a lot of noise, it would also create enough of a mess that it would hopefully slow down even the fastest of zeds.

When the wailing of the undead began to reach a fever pitch, Edward concentrated on lighting and tossing the bundles of fireworks as quickly as he could. There was a very good chance at least a portion of the store would catch fire and he needed to move before then.

Sparing a moment to glance around, Edward surveyed the situation. It appeared he and Jasper had managed to draw the majority of the zeds away from the door leading to the auto care center.

The distinct sound of a gunshot let him know that Rosalie and Rack had reached the ground and were heading toward the auto center and it was his cue to follow. Edward worked furiously to light the remaining piles of fireworks before he tossed them further than any before.

Once the last of the fireworks were gone, he surveyed the store from his perch before spotting Rosalie and Jasper's blonde heads and beginning his quick descent. He was met with an abandoned aisle once he reached the ground. It seemed as though their plan was working. Weaving through aisles, he avoided notice as best he could, stopping only to bash in the heads of the unfortunate zombies who happened to spot him through the smoke. He didn't dare chance a look but from what he could tell the store had in fact caught fire.

He had almost reached with the rest of his group when suddenly the lights went out. "Mother fuck," he swore as he crouched blindly behind a row of freezers.

The only light in the building was now emanating from the growing flames on the other end of the store but even that was being obscured by the cloying smoke that had begun to fill and burn his lungs. Edward decided the best chance he had was to crawl along the floor toward where he knew the door to the auto center to be. His only hope was to avoid detection long enough to escape the now raging inferno left in his wake.

As he crawled agonizingly slowly across the cold cement floor, he managed to avoid detection but not the smoke. After a few yards, breathing became so difficult that his head was swimming as he struggled unsuccessfully to catch his breath. When his muscles finally gave out due to lack of oxygen, black dots had just begun to litter his vision.

Collapsing wearily onto his stomach, Edward accepted the knowledge that he was going to die and allowed himself to recall the face of the only woman he had ever really loved one last time.

He had just decided to stop breathing entirely when he sensed movement near his head as the majority of his senses had been cut off. The small part of his brain still operating wondered if perhaps the zeds had actually managed to find him and when a pair of strong teeth latched onto his shirt collar and began pulling at him he was sure of it. Resigned to his fate, Edward took one final burning breath before succumbing to the leaden darkness.

**XXIII**

**XXIII**

**XXIII**

_Any ideas? Some of you are getting close to figuring out who Rosalie is to the Swans but alas, but no cigar. Again I want thank you all so much for all of your support! I promise I'm updating as fast as I can but FanFiction is being a persnickety bitch and hasn't been letting me upload or edit any of my chapters lately. Anyway, leave me some love!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	24. Older Brother

**Older Brother**

**Today's song is Older Brother by Pepper Rabbit.**

"Shit!" Jacob gasped as he turned his head just in time to witness Bella's spectacular attempt at a reverse Swan dive.

"Wh-," Emmett turned around to see where all the commotion was coming from, "Bells!" he shouted as he unceremoniously dropped the box he was carrying onto the steps. He hastily pushed past a frozen Esme as he followed after his sister.

Esme stared stunned. To her credit she had made an attempt to grab for Bella when she saw her going down but with her arms full she wasn't quite fast enough. They watched in horror as Bella's body bounced sickeningly down the worn stone steps before coming to a halt with a sickening crunch against one of the stone walls.

"Shit, shit, shit," Emmett muttered agitatedly as he came to a halt before his sister's sickeningly contorted crumpled form. He bent down to check her injuries but was no sound or movement save for the quick steps of Jacob and Esme's feet as they too came to offer assistance.

"Is she…" Esme trailed off as she observed a growing pool of blood seeping from the girl's broken body.

"I don't- I don't know," Emmett sobbed, "she's not moving. Oh my god why isn't she moving? Can you help her?" He asked a stricken looking Esme.

Esme shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry but I'm a PhD not an M.D. I'm not even CPR certified."

"Let me see man," Jacob said gently pushing the tortured man aside, "I'm a certified First Responder."

Jacob knelt and paused for a moment before deciding to move her. He knew any wrong move could cause irreversible damage or even death but there was no way to treat Bella's injuries if they didn't. It wasn't like they could just whip out their cell phones and call the paramedics.

"Well the good news is she's not dead but we're going to need to move her so I can check her for injuries. Esme you come here and support her head and neck while Emmett and I slowly straighten her out. Then we can figure out what to do next." Esme and Emmett moved into position and at Jacob's command, he and Emmett began to unfold Bella's twisted form.

"Oh my god there's so much blood," Esme groaned.

Emmett looked up and noticed how pale Esme had suddenly become. "Blood makes you sick?" He asked in disbelief as he remembered the grisly collection of brains not scattered haphazardly across the staircase beside the severed head.

Esme didn't respond, instead she just squeezed her eyes shut tightly and focused on breathing through her mouth.

Emmett shook his head in disbelief as he turned his attention back to a now shirtless Jacob. "Well?" he asked anxiously.

"Her neck isn't broken so that's good. She definitely busted her head open pretty good and is going to need a few stitches but I've managed slow the bleeding with my t-shirt. She has a concussion and I'm fairly certain she has several broken ribs and a possible broken collarbone but so far those are the only breaks I've been able to find. Right now my biggest fears are that she may have some sort of spinal injury or internal bleeding. We're going to need a backboard to get her off of here so I can treat her properly."

"Do you have one of those, backboard things?" Emmett asked.

Jacob nodded as he lifted Bella's shirt and began to look for any visible sign of internal bleeding. "We keep it in the small supply shed near the church along with the First Aide supplies. One of us has to go the rest of the way up the mesa and get help."

"I'm not going anywhere," Emmett declared stubbornly.

"Well I can't go," Jacob replied, "I'm the only one with any First Aide knowledge."

"I'm not leaving," Emmett repeated forcefully.

"Emmett," Jacob growled exasperatedly, "it's getting dark and Bella needs more medical attention that I am equipped to provide right now.

"I'll go," Esme interjected meekly.

"What? But you don't know the way," Emmett argued.

"I'm pretty sure I can find my way up the stairs and into the only village on this rock," Esme answered.

"Alright it's settled then," Jacob said with a decisive nod. "Esme you get help from the first person you see and Emmett you're going to need to carefully take Esme's place supporting Bella's neck. Be sure not to jostle her any more than necessary."

"Alright," Emmett replied as he and Esme gently exchanged places. "Please hurry," he pleaded, "I can't lose her too."

"I will. I promise," Esme replied solemnly as she turned and began taking the steps two at a time.

"Em?" Bella rasped.

At the sound of his sister's voice Emmett sagged with relief. "Bells," he sighed, "thank god. I thought I had lost you for a moment there."

"It hurts so bad Em," Bella whimpered as she struggled to move.

Jacob tried to gently restrain her struggling form while Emmett tried to keep her calm. "You have to stay still Bella," Emmett explained looking her square in the eye, "you took a bad tumble and we know you're hurt but we don't know how badly yet and we don't want to accidently make it worse. Esme went to get help so we can get you off of this fucking staircase."

"I can't," Bella gasped her expressive brown eyes wide with panic, "I can't breathe. I can't breathe Em!"

"You have to calm down Bella," Jacob instructed. "You have a few broken ribs and possibly a broken collarbone. Let's just try not to add a punctured lung to your list of injuries. Just try to relax and take slow, controlled breaths and we'll have you out of here in no time."

Bella bit her lip but remained quite as she struggled to remain still despite the pain emanating throughout her entire body. Instead she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, willing herself to think through the pain and ignore it as best she could, something she had mastered over the years due to the sheer number of injuries she sustained annually.

"Fuck what's taking her so long?" Emmett demanded after a few minutes of listening to Bella's ragged breathing.

Jacob sent him a threatening glare over Bella's head. "I'm sure they'll be here soon, we just have to wait for them to get here."

"Fucking bullshit," Emmett muttered under his breath.

Jacob would never admit it in Bella's presence but he too was getting worried about how long it was taking Esme to find help. Surely they were near enough to the top of the staircase that it shouldn't have taken her too long to reach the top and the village was right near the entrance so there was no way she could have gotten lost…

"I hear something," Emmett said anxiously as the distinct sound of footsteps reverberating off the stone walls could be heard coming toward them from above.

"Finally," Jacob breathed a sigh of relief as he turned his head to watch for reinforcements. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long before Charlie's worried face came into view followed by Sam and Kim carrying the backboard and medical supplies.

"Oh god, Bells," Charlie breathed as he crouched next to his daughter's immobile form.

Seeing his children hurt had never gotten any easier for Charlie over the years, no many how commonplace Bella's various injuries had become. Every time he saw one of his children in any amount of pain, Charlie felt a sense of helplessness he usually had to struggle to mask but now, faced with Bella's prone form heaped atop the stress and fear of the past few days, his mask was beginning to crumble.

Bella's eyes fluttered open at the sound of her father's voice. "Hey Dad," Bella greeted her father with a slight grimace that was meant to be a smile.

"What happened?" Charlie demanded gruffly looking from one man to the other.

"Sir, it was my-," Jacob began to say before he was interrupted by Emmett.

"It was my fault Dad," Emmett confessed while looking Charlie square in the eye. "If I had been keeping an eye on her like I was supposed to this never would have happened. I should never have let her down here in the first place."

Bella shifted painfully. "Bullshit," she wheezed.

"Sshh, Bells," Charlie soothed, "Emmett's right. You never should have been allowed off the mesa."

"No," she argued incensed by the blatant set of double standards she was being subjected to, "that's bullshit. Emmett is not my keeper and if I want to do something I'm going to do it."

"Bella," Charlie warned, his moustache twitching in response.

"Dad," she mocked. "I'm an adult and if I want to do something I'm going to do it and no one, not you or Emmett, is going to tell me no. I would have thought I had proved myself to you by now but I guess I was wrong."

"Bells," Charlie sighed as he stepped out of the way so Kim could use butterfly bandages to close the gash in Bella's forehead until they were able to give her stitches. "It's not that I don't trust you but I worry about you getting hurt and before you argue with me let me remind you that you really don't have a leg to stand on given the state you're currently in."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Because I tripped on the stairs while I wasn't paying attention. I've seen you misstep thousands of times so don't act like this is a unique occurrence. Besides, this could have happened anywhere. There are stairs in the village. Who's to say keeping me up there is going to stop this from happening again? I could fall down and hurt myself anytime. Besides, you need me. No one, not even Jake, knows as much about this as I do."

"It's true Sir," Jacob interjected before falling silent after receiving a disapproving look from Charlie that promised pain if he didn't.

Their argument came to a temporary halt when Bella let out a small cry as she was placed securely upon the backboard. Her whole body felt like it had been put through a rock tumbler and in a way she supposed it had. Breathing was taking more effort than it should as anything less than a small breath caused the stabbing pain in her chest to flare painfully and the dull throbbing in her head was making her woozy.

As Sam and Jacob lifted the backboard, Bella struggled to remain conscious but the blood loss had sapped all of her energy so she decided to rest her eyes, just for a minute. As they fluttered shut she heard Kim's muffled scolding her, urging her to stay with her but it was a fight she was not going to win. Already the voices of those around her had begun to sound like the teacher on Charlie Brown and the world around her had softened into a fuzzy mess.

Finally, just before losing the battle, Bella's mind drifted to those who had fallen. If Esme was right then the only person she had cared about, other than her family and Jake, who was possibly still alive, was the one person who had almost destroyed her.

**XXIV**

**XXIV**

**XXIV**

_I hope you enjoyed. Today I'm taking a trip to Acoma to make sure I get all of my facts right. I haven't been there in years so this should be interesting. I'm not sure how to ask some of the questions I need answered without coming off as crazy though so wish me luck. Anyway please let me know what you think! Some of your reviews are hilarious and I have to be honest, NO ONE has figured out the Jack Rosalie thing yet and some of your theories are just plain funny. Send me your guesses! Also you can fallow me on twitter MissBellarella._

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	25. Progress As Promised

**Progress As Promised**

**Today's song is Progress As Promised by We Barbarians.**

Fuck, Edward thought to himself as his body was wracked with another painful coughing fit. It felt as though someone had poured gasoline in his throat and then proceed to allow their cat to take a shit in the litter box of his mouth.

"Ugh," he groaned as he struggled to open his eyes he had regained consciousness awhile ago but had been struggling to regain control over his body.

As soon as he managed to pry them open he snapped them shut again, desperate for relief. If his throat felt like a litter box then his eyes certainly felt like they had been dunked in an acid bath while his head had been put into a press.

While he squeezed his eyes shut and wished for medical grade Visine, Edward tried to take stock of his surroundings but it was difficult to hear anything over his wheezing and hacking coughs.

Well, he thought, if there were any zeds I would surely be dead by now. There's no way they wouldn't be able to hear this. With a grunt, Edward pulled himself into a sitting position and immediately experienced an intense coughing fit accompanied by an overwhelming sense of vertigo.

"Oh god," he moaned as he clutched at his chest and rested his head on his knees, "just let it fucking stop."

When the painful coughing fit finally subsided, Edward once again focused on his surroundings and found that he was not alone. Somewhere nearby someone or something was breathing, very very loudly.

With every hair on his body prickling in anticipation, Edward once again struggled to open his eyes although it was far more difficult than he expected as his eyelids seemed absolutely set against the task. Finally, he had to reach up and physically pry his eyelids open and hold them open until the uncontrollable muscle spasms subsided.

Because his eyes were so irritated, Edward had a hard time focusing on anything further than the tip of his nose so he was startled to find that during his struggle, the source of the breathing had moved closer.

"Hello?" He rasped, squinting into the darkness. "Who's there?"

Instead of the answer he was expecting he was rewarded with a very sloppy and very wet lick on his face.

"S-Sammy?" he wheezed before coughing again. Tentatively, he reached his hand out and was met with a familiar furry body. "Oh shit Sam," he laughed wearily as he sagged with relief against the large dog's neck, "I was afraid I had lost you man."

After inhaling the dog's smoky scent, Edward sat bolt upright as the fire came rushing back to him. The last thing he remembered was a pair of teeth on his collar. Shocked, he stared into the loyal face of his companion as he realized who had dragged him out of the fire. If he hadn't been indebted to this animal for saving him before he surely was now.

After a few more moments of contemplative silence, Edward glanced around. "Where the fuck are we?" he muttered as the surveyed his surroundings. They were surrounded by boxes, no surprise there but they definitely weren't still inside the burning Costco.

Other than the smell of smoke clinging to his clothes and in Sammy's fur, the acrid smell of burning plastic was absent. "What the hell?" Edward thought as he rose to his knees with a painful grunt. Nothing seemed to be broken but he knew he was going to be quite sore when this was all over and he doubted he would be able to participate in any long conversations anytime soon as every time he coughed of spoke his throat erupted in flames.

Upon further examination of their surroundings, Edward found realized they were in some sort of small room and the room was moving. There was a small amount of light streaming through a crack at one end of the narrow room but other than that he was encased in complete darkness.

"Ugh," he grunted as Sammy let out a muffled yelp when they were thrown against the side of what Edward determined was the side of a truck. "Fuck," he groaned as he staggered to his feet and began walking toward where the cab should be located, "who's driving this fucker?"

When he got to the end of the trailer, he began pounding on the metal wall repeatedly, hoping the driver would hear him and take mercy on his sorry ass. If he didn't get out of this swaying death trap soon he was going to blow chunks everywhere.

After awhile he collapsed back onto the floor and placed his head between his knees and tried to focus on anything other than the constant swaying that reminded him of riding angry seas. Edward had never been prone to carsickness but put him on the water and he was immediately green. As a child he was even banned from using floats in the pool because he was so prone to vomiting in the pool.

Desperate to do whatever he could to prevent his meager breakfast from making a reappearance and figuring he was already damned to hell, he finally allowed himself to recall the face he had conjured just before losing consciousness in the fire. With a sigh, he settled back against a stack of boxes as a pair of sad, dark brown eyes came to mind.

The face he imagined was, in Edward's humble opinion one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. While she was not beautiful in a supermodel way, he had always found he had always found her face to be interesting. She had a soft, heart shaped face and creamy white skin that was a rarity in the desert. Even though she had always lived in the southwest, her skin seemed to be perpetually pale. Sure, she gained some color after spending time under the blazing desert sun but it seemed to fade just as quickly as it came. As he pictured her face he allowed his mind to drift to the set full lips he never tired of remembering. So many hours had been spent worshipping those lips that he could nearly recall exactly how they felt pressed against his own.

Edward was suddenly jolted out of his daydream by the truck's abrupt stop. "Mother-," he groaned as he lost his balance and fell over. As he righted himself he heard the sound of feet crunching on the ground outside of the truck. When the backdoor of the truck was suddenly thrown open Edward hissed and cowered in the corner as the bright light of day assaulted his tender corneas.

"Ed?" Jasper's voice called. "You okay man?"

With monumental effort, Edward shielded his eyes and peered into the blinding sunlight. "You know, still kicking," he replied painfully as his ragged throat once again erupted in flames.

"Aw thank fuck man. I really thought we had lost you for awhile there. Never would have found you if it wasn't for this guy. Pulled you as far as he could, then he barked until I got to you." He patted the wagging Sammy on the head. "When I found you, Sammy had already taken down two zeds that had found you before I did. One hell of a dog you got there man."

Rather than attempt to speak, Edward chose instead to nod his head in agreement as he hefted himself off the floor and stumbled toward the daylight.

"I'm guessing you're going to want to ride up front eh?" Jasper said as he pulled the large metal doors shut behind Edward. "Rosalie is driving your car," he motioned to the Bronco stopped a few feet from the truck. Inside, Edward could just make out Jack's arm waving a frantic hello through the car's back window and he responded with a small salute knowing the child would get a kick out of it.

"As you can see," Jasper continued once they were all situated inside the cab of the semi, "we managed to get the truck, no idea what's in it yet since everything is wrapped in a shitload of plastic but hopefully it's something good."

"Wh-," Edward rasped before massaging his sore throat and trying again, this time in a whisper, "where are we going?" When they were in the Costco, the group had focused only on how to escape, not where they were going to go once they did.

Jasper scratched his sweat soaked curls. "Eh, not sure man," he admitted with a shrug. "Rosalie said she knows a place so I'm just following her lead. Seems as good a plan as any right?"

Edward nodded in agreement as the truck's large engine roared to life but it wasn't long before he began to get antsy. Being cooped up for so long had certainly taken its toll and Edward longed to breathe some fresh air for awhile. A tap on the shoulder and a few hand gestures was all it took to get Jasper to pull the truck to a stop once again. Seeing the truck's movement come to a halt in her rearview mirror, Rosalie also brought the Bronco to a stop a short ways up the road.

After giving Sammy a quick scratch behind the ears, Edward clambered from the truck's cab and walked up the road. Once he reached the car, he motioned for Rosalie to roll down her window.

"Hey Mr. Ed! Guess what? We're driving your car!" Jack shouted excitedly from where he was strapped into the back seat. Edward grinned and gave the boy a small wave.

"Is there a problem?" Rosalie asked. "Why did we stop?"

"N- no," Edward whispered in his ragged voice. "No problem, I just wanted my bike for awhile. I need some air."

With a roll of her eyes, Rosalie silently reached over and popped the car's trunk and waited impatiently for Edward to retrieve his stupid motorcycle. She was annoyed that they had stopped for something so stupid but said nothing knowing that without his help she and Jack would most likely be dead right now.

As she watched the motorcycle speed down the road, she reflected on the enigma that was Edward Cullen. She had known him for years but never got a good read on him. Often, he was moody, selfish, and brash yet at other times he was caring, concerned, and selfless. The man was a walking contradiction. He was the only leather jacket wearing, pit bull owning badass she knew who actually read substantial books and liked to go on picnics in the woods.

With a shake of her head she decided not to think too hard about it and instead redirected her attention to singing along with Jack's soulful rendition of the Farmer in the Dell.

As the miles passed, Edward would speed ahead of others before looping back around as he enjoyed a sense of peace and solitude he had been so desperately missing.

After over almost two hours of driving, Rosalie led the way as she exited the highway and began traveling down an empty road deeper into the desert. Occasionally, they would pass a few wandering zeds but they paid them no mind as they sped by. There was no reason to waste their time and with Jack around, Jasper didn't dare try to increase his zombie killing score.

As the miles passed, a large mesa came into view and Rosalie felt a sense of dread settle heavily into the pit of her stomach. This was the only place she knew to go. She clung to the hope that not only would this be a safe haven for herself and her young son but that perhaps by some miracle, Bella had made it.

Rosalie would never have thought to come here on her own but she remembered joking conversations with her best friend, Bella Swan, from years past about what they would do in the event of some sort of world disaster. Ironically, Rosalie had decided she would be safe as long as there was a Costco around, apparently not. On the other hand, Bella had completely dismissed the idea of hiding in a Costco or shopping mall citing Dawn of the Dead as why that would be a bad idea. Rather Bella had mentioned an article she had read about an ancient situated atop a mesa in the desert.

She never really thought much about it until the outbreak began. Before her access to the internet was cut Rosalie was able to find out more about the city in the sky and memorized the directions should she ever need them. The only one she had told about her plan was her neighbor Esme but shortly thereafter the bombings had begun and Rosalie lost all contact with her neighbor. When she and Jack fled their apartment, she completely forgot about the mesa as she focused only on keeping her son safe but now it seemed like their best choice. After escaping the zombie horde, Rosalie had instructed Jasper follow her and in case they were separated to take Exit 108 and follow the signs to Acoma Pueblo.

Jack watched eagerly out the window of the Bronco as the bump in the distance quickly grew into a giant mesa rising up from the desert. "Is that it Mom?" he asked excitedly. "Are we almost there? I bet we're almost there," he babbled excitedly, not waiting for his mother to actually answer any of his questions.

Rosalie just smiled at him in the rearview mirror. She was thankful that even after all the misfortune that had befallen the small boy so far he had managed to cling onto his state of innocent wonder. As they drew nearer, Rosalie opted to bypass the visitor's center and continue on to the road leading up to the village, intending to drive right onto the mesa but was stopped by a large metal gate.

"Crap," she swore under her breath as she cut the car's engine before turning to the boy in the backseat. "Jack you stay here and guard the car okay buddy. I need to talk to mister Jasper real quick."

"Okay mom," he agreed happily as he pressed his nose to the glass while staring up the steep cliffs in amazement.

Taking quick stock of her surroundings for any sign of zombie activity, Rosalie found none and hopped from the car, slamming the heavy door behind her as Jasper brought the semi to a stop a few feet away. Without hesitating, Jasper shifted the truck into park and hopped from its lifted cab onto the sandy desert floor.

"This it?" He asked peering around.

Rosalie shielded her eyes from the intense midday sun and tried to catch a glimpse of any other living humans and failing. "Yeah, this is it."

"Cool, " Jasper nodded appreciatively.

"I guess," she answered with a shrug. "Where's Edward?"

"You mean he's not here?" Jasper asked in a confused voice.

"Well obviously not," Rosalie replied as she scanned the landscape for the lone motorcycle, "otherwise I wouldn't be asking would I?"

Jasper ignored her bitchy comment. "Well, you told him the right exit didn't you?"

"What do you-," Rosalie paused and her mouth hung open in shock. "I assumed you told him where we were going."

"I didn't think about it," Jasper shrugged, "and you know what they say about assuming. It makes an ass out of u and me."

"Why you little-."Rosalie was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a gun being cocked nearby.

"Well hello there pretty lady," an unfamiliar deep voice boomed as the two blondes turned slowly to see who was holding them at gunpoint, "and who might you be?"

**XXV**

**XXV**

**XXV**

_I don't think I can explain to you how much I enjoy writing this story and I hope you feel the same way. That's right, I'm talking to you. I would love to hear from you! Some of you have some really crazy ideas about who Jack's father is and I'm just going to say this once, Bella is NOT Jack's mother. While you wait for the next update, because I'm sure that's all you spend your time doing, send me your theories and zombie survival ideas. I have already mentioned a few in the story so far and I hope to use more! Have a great night my lovelies!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	26. Emerald Eyes

**Emerald Eyes**

**Today's song is Emerald Eyes by Fight Bite.**

Edward had been enjoying his solitude so immensely that he was startled when he looked down and saw how low he had gotten on gas. Deciding it would probably be a good idea for him to rejoin the others, he turned his bike around and sped south, down the highway.

As he rode further down the deserted stretch of road, Edward began to get a sinking feeling deep in his gut. He was certain he had been behind the semi when they had passed the sign advertising the Dancing Eagle Casino. He got all the way to Exit 117 before he allowed himself to come to grips with the fact somehow, on a straight highway with no traffic save for a handful of stumbling zeds, he had managed to lose not only his Bronco and a fucking semi but his dog as well. Fuck my life, he thought with a sigh as he turned back around.

The large man holding Jasper and Rosalie waited patiently for a response.

Jasper was the first to recover his senses enough to answer. "Name's Jasper Whitlock," he said while he raised his hands to show he meant no harm, "and this here is Miss Rosalie…" he trailed off before turning his head toward Rosalie, "what's your last name again darlin'?"

"Hale," Rosalie answered haughtily, "Rosalie Hale. And who might you be?"

Rather than answer her question, the large man lowered his gun and fixed her with a curious look. "Hale, Hale," he repeated. "Name sounds familiar but I'm not sure why since I can promise I would have remembered meeting you."

Rosalie harrumphed but inside she was secretly pleased. If she was honest with herself, and she typically was, she was quite pleased the man found her attractive. He certainly wasn't hard on the eyes. While trying to look disinterested, Rosalie checked him out. He was a large man with broad, muscular shoulders and at first glance quite intimidating, until she reached his face. He had dark curly brown hair, two deep dimples, sparkling brown eyes, and a disarmingly familiar smile. Actually, now that Rosalie thought about it, there was something very familiar about this man.

"What did you say your name was again?" She asked while eying him curiously.

"Didn't," he laughed amused by the woman's poorly concealed attempt to check him out, "name's Emmett Swan."

"Nice to-." Jasper was cut off by Rosalie's excited squeal.

"Swan? Emmett Swan? As in THE Emmett Swan?"

"Well I see my reputation precedes me," Emmett chuckled with an amused grin.

"Emmett Swan, from Phoenix, Arizona?" Rosalie asked excitedly.

"At your service ma'am," he replied with a bow.

"Oh my god!" Rosalie squealed. "Is she here? Where is she? I have to see her?"

Emmett's brow furrowed in confusion as Jasper watched the odd interaction as though it were an intense tennis match, his eyes bouncing from one player to the other.

"I'm sorry but I'm not really sure what you're-"

"Bella," Rosalie gasped, desperate for air, "where is Bella? I have to see her. She is here isn't she?"

Recognition dawned on Emmett's face. "Oh you're one of Bella's friends. That explains a lot," he mumbled under his breath. "Uh yeah, Bells is here. She's actually on top of the mesa recovering right now but if you guys want to follow me I'd be happy to take you to her."

Rosalie nodded enthusiastically. "Let me just hop in the car and we'll follow you up."

"Oh no I'm sorry, you can't take the cars up there."

"Why not?" Jasper asked as he surveyed the road leading up the mesa. "I'm sure they'll do fine on the incline."

"Not the problem," Emmett answered with a shake of his head, "we blew the road out in order to keep the zeds out."

"You destroyed the road?" Rosalie asked in disbelief as she peered around looking for another way up and finding none, "how do you get up and down then?"

"Stairs," Emmett jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Sucks but it's better than being eaten alive," he explained with a shrug. "So you ready to go? We can come back for your things later when we have some of the others to help us."

"There are others?" Jasper asked as he too searched in vain for the stairs Emmett had mentioned.

The large man nodded. "Not a ton but there are quite a couple dozen of us so far with more showing up all the time. Don't worry though, there's a shit ton of room for everyone. So anyway, you ready to go?"

"Yeah let me just get Jack and Jasper why don't you grab Sammy. Grab a few of his doggy treats while you're at it."

"Oh cool," Emmett exclaimed excitedly, "you brought dogs! Sweet, I love dogs."

Rosalie shook her head as she walked back toward the Bronco, "Just one dog and one Jack."

"What the fuck is a Jack?" Emmett asked as images of car jacks and small metal toys ran through his head.

"This," Rosalie said with a soft grunt as she hefted a sleeping child from the back of the car, "is a Jack."

"Oh shit a kid. I was not expecting that."

"Is this a problem?" Rosalie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No way." Emmett shook his head as he stepped forward to get a better look at the sleeping boy, "I love kids. I was just surprised is all. Is he yours?" He asked taking stock of Rosalie's lithe form. There was no way her body had ever carried a child.

"That's what the birth certificate says," Rosalie joked as she rubbed Jack's back.

"Got 'em," Jasper called as he shut the door of the semi.

"What's this guy's name?" Emmett asked as he allowed the large pit bull to sniff his hand before crouching down and scratching him behind the ears. "You've got an awesome dog," he commented when Sammy flipped happily for a belly rub.

"Thanks, his name is Sammy but he's not mine," Jasper replied as he concentrated on filling his backpack with a few treats for the dog.

"Oh," Emmett said looking up, "did you find him?"

"Nah. He belongs to the other guy who is traveling with us but we seem to have lost him on the way here."

"Like he died or you actually lost him?" Emmett asked. Given the goings on in recent days the words we lost him had taken on a whole new meaning.

"We actually lost the dipshit on the road here because he too busy was playing on his motorcycle to pay attention to where we were going," Rosalie replied, disgust for the lost man apparent in her voice. Probably a good thing too, she thought as she considered the shitfest that would surely ensue should Edward Cullen suddenly appear.

"Well shit, that sucks. Well we'll have to keep an eye out for him. You can see pretty far from the top of the mesa so hopefully someone will spot him."

"Hopefully," Rosalie repeated halfheartedly.

"So we ready to go then?" Emmett asked eager to show everyone what he had found during his turn at watch. Jacob as going to be so jealous that all the cool stuff kept happening during Emmett's watch shifts and Emmett couldn't wait to rub it in his face.

"Very," Rosalie sighed as she awkwardly shifted Jack from one shoulder to the other. He was no small boy. At seven he was already almost a head taller than the other boys in his class and ate like a truck driver.

Noticing Rosalie's plight, Emmett looked to Jasper to take his son but Jasper was completely oblivious. "There are a lot of stairs and it's pretty steep do you uh, do you want me to carry him?" He offered hesitantly.

Rosalie regarded him for a moment before nodding her head. Although she had never met him, she had heard about Emmett from Bella for years and couldn't help but trust him. Bella had always spoken very highly of her brother and Rosalie was inclined to trust her best friend's instincts, about most people.

Emmett placed his rifle carefully on the ground before effortlessly plucking the boy from his mother's tired arms and tucking the boy's head into this neck. "Would you mind?" he whispered nodding toward the gun.

"Oh sure," she replied before crouching down to retrieve the weapon, "oh and Emmett. Don't worry about whispering, that kid could sleep through just about anything."

"Cool. Well follow me and watch your step. We don't need another Bella."

The climb up the mesa was uneventful as Rosalie and Jasper concentrated on making it to the top in one piece. The climb wasn't a difficult one but they were so exhausted from the trials and tribulations they had suffered the past few days that they had to work to put one foot in front of the other.

On the way Emmett explained what he had meant when he said they didn't need another Bella. Apparently Bella had fallen a few days earlier and had managed to crack a few ribs and break her collar bone in the fall.

"She's okay now though," Emmett explained, "just resting since it still hurts her to move much. Nearly gave me a heart attack though. I really we were going to lose her for awhile there. Don't tell her but I kinda wish she would have stayed unconscious for a little longer, let me tell you, the quiet was amazing," he joked before they lapsed back into a comfortable silence.

When they reached the top, Rosalie immediately forgot her fatigue as her excitement over seeing Bella reached an all time high. She demanded to see her immediately and Emmett, not wanting to deny the beautiful woman, happily led the way through a wooden door and into a small but clean house.

"She's just upstairs," he said while settling Jack's still slumbering form gently on the worn couch. "Why don't you go on up? I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

Needing no further encouragement, Rosalie swiftly bent and kissed Jack tenderly on the forehead before sprinting up the stairs. Deciding Bella must be behind the only closed door, she rapped eagerly before a muffled voice bade her enter.

"Bella?" she called as she stepped into the small room.

"Rose?" The small woman sitting on the bed gasped in surprise before clutching at her chest with the only arm not in a sling. "Oh my god, Rose," she sobbed.

"Shhh, Bella it's okay." Rosalie soothed as she rushed to her best friend's side only to have her latch onto her like a life preserver with her good hand, "I'm here don't cry," she commanded through her own tears.

"Oh my god Rose, I can't believe it's really you," Bella hiccupped as reached for a tissue to blow her freely running nose a few minutes later when the tears had finally subsided. "I thought you were- Esme said you were-"

She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence but Rosalie knew what she meant. Bella couldn't believe she had actually survived and honestly neither could she.

"She made it here then? Esme got out?" Rosalie asked Rosalie reached as she for a tissue to wipe her own eyes. "I thought for sure she was a goner."

Bella nodded. "She thought the same about you and Jack. Shit, she swore, "I'm a terrible friend, where's Jack? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Rosalie reassured her. "He's downstairs with your brother and Jasper fast asleep. In fact, he slept during the entire climb up here. Thank god for your brother or I never would have made it up those stairs."

"Oh. You've met Emmett then?" Bella asked a devious glint in her eye.

She had always felt Rosalie would be perfect for her brother but before now had never been able to get them in the same room. When she had met Rosalie, Emmett had been away from college and anytime he had come home for vacation she was never around. Now maybe she would have the opportunity to make two of the people she cared most about very happy.

Rosalie sighed as she recalled Emmett's immediate ease with Jack, "yeah, he's great."

"Yep," Bella replied as she happily noted that perhaps they were already on the right track, "and he's really great with kids. So who's Jasper? Is he your new boyfriend or something?"

Rosalie paused for a moment before answering Bella's question. She wasn't sure if she should mention Edward to her just yet. She knew that her friend would eventually find out but she decided to gift her with a few more moments of peace before she brought up her ex boyfriend.

"Nah, he's just a guy we picked up along the way. It's kind of a long story and I don't know much about him but he seems pretty cool. Totally not my type though," she answered with a yawn.

"Tired?" Bella asked with a smile.

"Exhausted actually," Rosalie answered between yawns. "I've been up for two days straight and haven't had a good night's rest in weeks."

"Well you're in luck," Bella replied as she swung her legs off of the bed with a grimace and stood slowly, "this is the safest place I could find. You've seen the cliffs, there's no way a zed's making it up here and just in case we have a twenty-four hour watch going. You can sleep soundly knowing you're protected. Here, lay down," she urged gesturing toward the bed.

Rosalie shook her head in protest. "No I couldn't. It's your bed and you're hurt."

Bella just waved her off and pushed her gently toward the small bed. "You can and you will. I just changed the sheets. Besides, I need to get out of here for awhile. I'm going nuts being cooped up here and I need to find someone to change the bandage on my head," she lifted her hair away from her forehead to illustrate her point. "You just get comfortable and I'll have Emmett bring Jack up to you and I'll make Alice find a place for this Jasper guy to stay. Then, when you're rested, you can catch me up on everything that's happened, no rush."

"Yeah, no rush," Rosalie agreed with a tired nod and another yawn.

As Bella hobbled out the door, Rosalie clambered sleepily into the small bed and nestled under the blankets A few minutes later she was vaguely aware of Emmett placing her son's warm body gently next to her own before she allowed herself to relax into a dreamless slumber for the first time in weeks.

Meanwhile, Edward had finally decided follow the billboards urging him to pull off on Exit 108 towards Casa Blanca to refuel. Warily, he puttered toward the casino looming before him. He wasn't thrilled to find a fairly full parking lot but noted that there didn't seem to be any zeds roaming the area as he bypassed the travel center's fully automated pumps and continued up the road to an old service station. With the power out, an automated gas station would be far more trouble than he was prepared to deal with at the moment.

Cautiously, Edward dismounted bike and settled the bike on its kickstand before moving toward the pump. He was relieved to find that the pumps were still operating and would not require him to swipe his credit card before pumping.

Remaining vigilant, Edward hastily filled his tank before swinging his leg over the bike and starting engine which refused to catch.

"Shit," he growled as he once again tried to get the engine to turn with no luck. "Crap, crap, crap," he groaned as the sounds of his engine caught the attention of several zeds who had apparently been milling around behind the service stations. "Oh this is just not good," he moaned as they began rushing toward him as quickly as their mangled limbs would allow.

"Come on baby, come on," he pleaded. "Fuck yeah!" he cheered as he finally got the engine to catch and gave the bike some gas. "Oh shit!" he shouted as he swerved just in time to avoid being ripped off the bike by a particularly ghoulish man with only half a handlebar moustache and three-fourths of his face left.

Edward swerved and dodged the large number of zeds that had begun to emerge wherever they had been hiding. As he passed by the casino he noticed the throngs of undead pressed against the glass doors fighting to break free and he said a small thank you for the loss of power. Without electricity, the automated doors were frozen shut, keeping the zeds prisoner, for now .

Not knowing where else to go, Edward decided to follow the Indian Service road to the west. He knew Rosalie and Jasper must have taken one of the exits and since he was already on the road, it seemed like the best place to start looking. If nothing else he had to get his dog back.

Rosalie woke from her nap with a start before remembering where she was. She was still tired but knew if she continued to doze, her entire internal clock would be thrown off and she would be up all night.

Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she looked around the small room for her son but found no sign of him and smiled knowing he was probably downstairs flirting with his Auntie Bella. After stretching for a few minutes, Rose managed to convince herself to get out of bed and look for her child.

"Hey Bells," Rosalie called down the stairs, "is Jack down there with you?"

"No," came the reply from across the room, "Emmett and Charlie took him for a tour. They mentioned looking for some toys so it could be awhile. I think they were even more excited than he was."

"Oh okay," she replied with a grin thinking of how excited the energetic young boy would be to spend time exploring. It wasn't often he got a chance to spend time with men and he would surely eat up the attention he was receiving, especially from his Papa Charlie. "How long was I out?"

"Little over two hours," Bella replied. "So Rose," she called from her perch on the couch where she had Sammy laying across her like a small lap dog. "Would you mind telling me why this dog seems so, very, very familiar?"

"Oh, um, well yeah. You noticed huh," she chuckled nervously. "Not really sure where to start…" Rosalie hedged looking anywhere but towards the woman on the couch.

Rosalie was normally a woman who refused to be cowed but there had always been something about Isabella Swan that brought her down a notch or two. She loved the woman like the sister she never had and although she was three years older, Bella had always been the leader of their terrible twosome.

"I usually find the beginning to be a good place," Bella replied seriously as she fixed Rosalie with her penetrating gaze. "I mean ,unless you're reading Catch-22, then it doesn't matter where you start, it will never really make much sense."

Rosalie squeezed her eyes shut tightly before letting out a deep breath and nodding her head. "Alright," she acquiesced as she plopped down on the couch and reached over to stroke Sammy's head.

Over the next hour, Rosalie caught Bella up on everything that had happened beginning with the time spent trapped in her apartment and ending with losing Edward somewhere along the road. The only details she spared were the ones related to seeing her best friend's ex in the buff, those were something she didn't think were necessary to share.

"You lost him?" Bella asked in disbelief. "Oh my god Rose, I don't think I can- I mean not after. What am I going to do?" she babbled as she began pacing the room while biting furiously at her much abused lower lip.

"Well he doesn't actually know where we are-" Rosalie offered lamely.

Bella stopped wearing a path in the floor long enough to fix the other woman with an incredulous stare. "Really Rose? You think he's not going to figure it out somehow? I mean if you remembered this place he's certainly bound to. He is the one who started the whole survival conversation in the first place. Oh my god what am I going to do?" she moaned.

Before Rosalie could answer, a happy Jack came bouncing in the front door followed closely by en equally excited looking Emmett and an exhausted looking Charlie.

"Mom! Mom!" He shouted running toward his mother. "Look what Emmy and Papa Charlie found for me!" He held up the collection of sandbox toys they had managed to dig up somewhere in the village.

"Oh wow!" she exclaimed as she leaned down to examine her sons spoils.

"Yeah and guess what? Miss Esme is here and she even letted me have a cookie for being such a big boy and taking care of you so good," he announced proudly.

"You certainly did," she replied as she pulled her entire reason for being into her arms for a hug. "Now why don't you take Sammy here outside to play so I can talk to Auntie Bella for awhile," she suggested.

Jack stuck out his bottom lip. "But I want you to play with me," he pouted as he gave his mother his best sad look.

"Jack," Rosalie scolded.

"No it's okay Rose," Bella interrupted softly as she winced, "it's actually time for me to take my pain meds and they tend to knock me out. We can talk then."

Rosalie eyed her friend doubtfully. Since finding out about Edward, Bella had begun to retreat back into herself and that was not something Rosalie wanted to see. After he left, it had taken a long time to get Bella to reenter the world of the living and she feared his presence might cause a setback.

"If you're sure…"

"I am. Besides, I'm sure we have time to figure something out. I just need some time to process is all. We'll talk later."

Without another word, Bella hobbled back toward the stairs and slowly climbed back toward her bedroom. She took her pills and settled back against the pillows with a sigh. She hadn't been lying when she told Rose it was time for her pain meds, her ribs and shoulder were beginning to throb uncomfortably, but really she just needed an escape to process. The thought that Edward could be once again reentering her life made her blood run cold. As she considered the possible fallout from his presence, she eventually slipped into a slumber only disrupted by visions of a pair of emerald eyes.

As Edward drove down the deserted stretch of winding road, he watched for any sign of a large truck but found nothing. The wind had swept a fine layer of sand across the road erasing any tracks that might have been apparent otherwise. It was only when he began to notice signs advising him that he was approaching Acoma Sky City that he began to wrack his memory for why it sounded so familiar. Something about the name brought forth a hazy memory of a conversation with friends long ago but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why they would have been talking about it.

Determined to find the answer, he pushed the old bike to go faster toward the rock formations rising above the horizon. As he drew nearer, the glint of sun reflecting off of metal drew his eye and he let out a triumphant whoop as he caught sight of the semi.

With a grin, Edward pulled up alongside the cars and cut the bike's engine. He looked around for any sign of his companions but was startled to find none. As he walked cautiously around he found no sign of a struggle or anything else for that matter. He was just about to climb back on his bike and begin searching the surrounding desert when he heard a voice calling his name.

"Edward! Edward," Jasper shouted as he jogged toward him from behind a wall of rock. "Shit man you gave us a scare," he said with a laugh as he clapped Edward on the shoulder. "Don't do that man."

"Sorry," Edward replied sheepishly. "Where are Rosalie and Jack?"

"Up top," Jasper said gesturing to the large mesa. "You're never going to believe this shit man. There is a whole ancient village up there full of survivors. It's fucking awesome man. No way are any zeds getting to us. Plus," he added with a devilish grin, "there are some really hot girls up there."

"No shit?" Edward asked. "A village huh?"

"And girls," Jasper reminded him.

Edward grimaced slightly. Girls were the last thing he needed to deal with right now. Besides, he had hardly looked at a girl in months and never like the one he had let get away.

Not noticing his friend's cool attitude toward the mention of girls, Jasper continued to prattle on as he led Edward toward the bottom of the hidden staircase. Apparently Jasper had been on his way down to check the contents of the semi when he spotted Edward's bike in the distance. He explained everything he had learned about the little stronghold in the desert and went on and on about the hot babes he had met so far.

**XXVI**

**XXVI**

**XXVI**

_He's here! So obviously the next chapter will be what you've all been waiting for! I've certainly made you wait long enough. So did any of you see those pics that leaked last night? If I hadn't this story would have been updated much sooner but I couldn't stop myself from drooling over the headboard pics or the vid of Rob thrusting. Who knew backs could be so sexy? Anywho, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think and I promise I'll have Bella and Edward's reunion up ASAP! Love ya!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_

_Also, Acoma pics at http:/www(dot)flickr(dot)com/photos/70467959N00/3063707850/ for those of you who asked!_


	27. Little Sister

**Little Sister**

**Today's song is Little Sister by Crystal Antlers.**

"Shit man," Edward huffed, "are all these stairs really fucking necessary?"

Jasper shrugged. "Probably not but if I'm surrounded by zeds I know I'm gonna want to put as much distance between them and I as possible."

"I guess," Edward conceded before bending over to catch his breath. "Fuck."

Although he possessed a fairly fit physique, Edward had never been much of an athlete. Growing up he had always been so gangly that he had enough to worry about when he walked without adding any unnecessary obstacles. Once he finally grew into his limbs during high school, all chances of him becoming any sort of an athlete were shot to shit when he discovered weed.

"Come on man," Jasper urged. "Ali said they were barbecuing for dinner and I don't want to miss that shit, I'm starving."

Straightening back up, Edward grudgingly resumed climbing, the promise of fresh food fueling his muscles. He was so tired of Slim-Jims that the prospect of eating another one made him want to vomit.

"So," Edward panted as they continued to climb, "is Ali one of those hot chicks you were going on about earlier?"

"Dude, you have no idea. There's quite a few good lookin' ones but she if fuck hot and from what I can tell doesn't seem to have a boyfriend, at least not one who survived anyway. She's here with her family but so far I've only met her brother and sister and Ed," he turned around and waggled his bushy eyebrows, "her sister is smokin', totally not my type, but damn dude. Maybe if you're lucky you can hit that shit."

"Awesome," Edward replied weakly knowing that no matter how hot this girl was she would never hold a candle to the brown eyed girl he had left behind. He had no intention of pursuing this Ali girl's sister and did not look forward to the prospect of Jasper trying to push her on him.

"Look what I found," Jasper called out triumphantly as they crested the top of the mesa.

Nearby, Rosalie was sitting under a tree as Jack played in the sand with a large man Edward didn't recognize. At the sound of Jasper's voice, she turned her smiling face from her son but as soon as she caught sight of Edward, her smile was replaced with a brief look of panic before she covered it expertly with a mask of indifference.

"Oh joy," she mumbled as she rose to her feet and began quickly walking to meet them. She hoped that if she could just talk to Edward maybe if she were really, really lucky and perhaps able to perform major miracles, she could somehow prevent the shit fest that was sure to ensue.

"Who's that?" Emmett asked Jack as he rose to his feet and dusted the sand off of his jeans.

Jack glanced up from his complex tunnel system for a brief second before going back to work. "Oh, that's just Mr. Ed. We losted him when he was on his big boy bike cause my mom forgot to tell him the directions to this place," he explained with a disinterested shrug.

"Mr. Ed, like the horse?" Emmett chuckled as he left the distracted boy to his game and strode forward to greet the new arrival.

When he reached the newly reunited trio he was confused to find Edward and Rosalie arguing in hissing whispers that stopped when he drew near while Jasper looked on with trepidation."Hey man, names Emmett." He introduced himself as he stuck out his large hand to shake the disheveled man's but before the new arrival could respond, Rosalie jumped between them.

"This is Ed," she said gesturing over her shoulder toward the confused looking man, "he's really beat and needs to clean up after so long on the road so we're just going to take him to lie down for a bit, if that's cool."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Emmett replied slowly, confused by Rosalie's erratic behavior. She had seemed so normal to him but be was beginning to wonder if maybe she wasn't just as bat shit crazy as his two younger sisters. "No problem. I'll just bring Jack back to you in a bit then, if that's okay. We're having a pretty great time and I don't want to interrupt."

Rosalie didn't even have to consider his offer to watch her son. Knowing what she did about Bella's brother, she wouldn't hesitate to trust him with her son's life if it came down to it. She knew instinctively that he would willingly lay down his own life to save the child if necessary. "Of course, thank you. Jack," she called to her son, "you be good for Emmett okay. I'll see you in a little while."

"K," Jack shouted distractedly, never even looking up from his sand pile as Emmett ambled back over to play.

Spinning around, Rosalie latched onto Edward's arm and began dragging him toward the house Jasper had been set up in. As soon as they were out of sight, Edward shook her off.

"What the hell Rose?" he demanded angrily refusing to go any farther. "What's your fucking problem?"

Rosalie turned around to glare while Jasper hastily excused himself to go find Ali as he was not interested in witnessing another battle between the two. As far as he knew Rosalie was still armed and he had no desire to be held a gun point yet again, once a day was more than enough.

"As usual, you are my problem," she hissed. "Do you even know who that was?" She snapped before turning on her heel and continuing to stomp towards the house.

"Uh, should I?" Edward asked as he tried to keep pace with Rosalie's angry strides.

"My god you're an idiot," she snorted as she stepped inside the house's cool interior. "Let me ask you Edward, did anything about that man look remotely familiar to you, anything at all?"

Edward furrowed his brow as he recalled the large man's friendly face. "Um no. Not really."

"Ugh," Rosalie huffed as she closed the door. "Alright well what was his name?"

"God I don't know. Em-Emmett I think," Edward replied.

"Kind of an unusual name don't you think?" She prodded, enjoying torturing the man.

Edward shrugged, not knowing where she was going with this. "No, not really. I mean Be-," his green eyes grew to the size of saucers and the color drained from his face. "No," he whispered, "no, no, no."

"Oh yes, yes, yes," she taunted.

Now that he thought about it, Emmett's smile was eerily familiar, as were his dark brown eyes. They were so similar to the eyes he had once stared into and promised forever to. They were the eyes that had haunted his dreams for years.

Suddenly, his own eyes snapped up to meet Rosalie's when he realized what Emmett Swan's presence here meant. "She's here isn't she Rose?" he demanded, eagerly jumping to his feet. "She's alright isn't she? I knew this place sounded familiar. I couldn't remember why but now I do. I remember us playing twenty questions years ago and her mentioning it. Shit, I have to see her," he declared as he rushed toward the door only to find it blocked.

"Whoa there Romeo," Rosalie put up a hand to halt his progress as she continued to block his only escape route. "Let's take a little trip down memory lane shall we? Can you think of any reason, any at all, why you rushing to Bella would be a bad idea? Because personally, I can come up with at least three and that's without out actually thinking about it."

The grin Edward had been sporting slid from his face like greased Jell-O as he remembered all of his transgressions. "Holy crap," he groaned as he sank heavily into the warm armchair and settled his head in his hands, "this is bad."

"No shit Sherlock," Rosalie retorted as she pulled up a chair from the small kitchen table."Now what are you going to do?"

He yanked at his disheveled, windblown hair in frustration. "I don't know," he groaned before looking pleadingly to Rosalie. "Please help me Rosalie, I need you to tell me. What should I do?"

"After what you did?" she snorted in disgust. "Why the hell should I help you?"

"Please Rose," he begged desperately. "I fucked up, I know I did. You don't think I've thought about it every day for the past five god damn years? You don't think I hate myself for what I've done? I've regretted it every fucking moment."

"Could have fooled me ran you ran off to Texas with Tanya. Sure didn't seem like you were too shaken up about it back then."

"I'm a fuck up okay Rose," he shouted jumping to his feet and beginning to pace the small room. "Is that what you want to hear? I left the best thing I ever had, the only thing I ever really needed over something so, so-"

"Stupid?" Rosalie supplied helpfully.

"So fucking stupid," he agreed with a disheartened sigh as he sank back into his seat.

"Look," Rosalie said, "I don't know what your fucking stupid reasons were, that's between you and Bella and honestly, I don't give a shit. All I know is you hurt her, badly, and not just once but repeatedly. I also know that more went on than she has told me but that's none of my business. What is my business is what you plan to do to fix this cluster fuck of a situation because I refuse to let you hurt her again."

"Rose, I couldn't. I-"

"Yes, you could," she interrupted forcefully, "and if you do, I won't be hundreds of miles away this time. No, I'll be right here to fucking end you like I should have the first time."

Edward hung his head in shame before raising it slowly to meet Rosalie's blazing blue eyes. "You have my word Rosalie, I'll do whatever it takes to make this right."

"You'd fucking better," she agreed while gazing past Edward out the small curtained window by the door. "Of course, it's not me you need to worry about," she added.

Edward nodded his head in understanding. "You mean Emmett and Mr. Swan."

"No," she snorted as the front door was thrown forcefully open revealing a small woman backed by a frightened looking Jasper, "I mean Alice."

As soon as her eyes landed upon the familiar mop of bronze hair, Alice let out a shriek and threw herself at the large man sitting in the recliner. She immediately began hitting and kicking anything she could reach, her mind focused solely on causing him as much pain as possible.

As she landed blow after blow, Edward shrunk back into the chair but refused to defend himself against the attack and all too soon for her liking, Alice found herself being restrained by Jasper.

"Whoa there killer," Jasper soothed as he held her struggling body tightly against his own, refusing to let her go until she had calmed down.

When Jasper had told her about finding their missing companion, he was surprised when she took off like a bat out of hell and he certainly wasn't expecting her to try to beat the shit out of Edward once she found him. He wondered if perhaps she was yet another woman he had wronged.

Alice struggled for a few more seconds in Jasper's iron hold before realizing she was out matched and stilled her flailing limbs.

Feeling her body relax, Jasper slowly released his hold on the small woman. "So," he asked with an amused twinkle in his eye, "did he almost kill your best friend too?"

Alice bristled. "No," she spat, "my sister!" she screamed before once again launching herself at Edward.

Rosalie allowed Alice to land a few more harsh blows on Edward's deserving face before she took pity on the man and pulled Alice's hands behind her back. "Alright Alice, that's enough."

"Fuck you Rosalie," Alice spat as she glared at Edward's defeated form, "you know what he did."

"Of course I know," Rosalie growled, "but beating the shit out of him, although satisfying as fuck, isn't going to make it any better."

"Fine," Alice conceded, "let's throw him off the mesa then."

"Tempting," Rosalie agreed with a nod of her head, "truly tempting but it'll never work. She knows he's here, or at least that he's coming."

"What? How? Did you tell her?" Alice demanded.

Rosalie sighed heavily and shook her head. "She found his stupid dog."

"Shit."

"Tell me about it."

"So, what do we do now?"

"I, have no idea," Rosalie admitted releasing her hold on Alice's arm.

"Can I suggest something?" Jasper asked from where he had crouched in front of Edward to check his injuries.

"No!" both women shouted simultaneously, causing him to jump and quickly go back to work patching Edward up.

"You know, he's dead anyway once Charlie finds out," Alice said.

"Yeah," Rosalie agreed with a sigh as she watched Edward knock Jasper's hand away from the bruises blossoming on his face. "I kinda figured."

**XXVII**

**XXVII**

**XXVII**

_Wish granted, Alice is back! Next chapter is Angry Charlie, please leave me a review and let me know what you think! Also you can follow me on twitter MissBellarella and send me your theories, suggestions, and questions. Love ya taters! Until next time._

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	28. Angry Charlie

**Angry Charlie**

**Today's song is Angry Charlie by the Generationals.**

The next morning, Bella Swan awoke with a feeling of hope that had been missing for quite some time. As she lay in bed looking for familiar shapes on the ceiling, she tried to make sense of the unfamiliar feeling.

After awhile, she decided the feeling could be attributed to her reasoning that it would be nearly impossible for Edward to find her. She had decided to believe in the absolutely unlikelihood that Edward would suddenly show up on her doorstep. It was already too coincidental that he had found Rosalie, there was no way fate would be so unkind as to let him happen upon her sanctuary in the desert. It wasn't like the pueblo was just off the highway, Edward would have to drive through a few small communities before driving almost fifteen miles through the desert just to get to the base of the mesa and knowing Edward, there was no way he would have the patience to follow a road for that long.

With a sigh, Bella nudged Sammy of the foot of her bed before swinging her legs over the side."Mornin' bud," she yawned, scratching the disgruntled dog behind the ears as a peace offering for disturbing his slumber.

Bella did feel a small twinge of guilt knowing how much Edward would miss his dog but she ignored the feeling immediately, she didn't want to feel anything for Edward Cullen any longer. Besides, she reasoned, Sammy had once been just as much her dog as his now it was her turn to enjoy his presence.

A familiar pathetic whine and a loudly thumping tail brought Bella out of her musings. "Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a twist, I'll feed you."

With a small groan, she rose to her feet before walking the few steps to her bedroom floor and following the eager canine down the stairs. As she stumbled around the small kitchen, she was surprised not to find any of her family members hanging around the house seeing as none of them were really morning people but shrugged it off figuring it must be later in the day that she had originally thought.

After hooking both herself and her companion up with breakfast, Bella went about her morning routine until Sammy's whines alerted her to his need for a walk.

"Okay, okay," she grumbled as she slipped her feet into a pair of well loved Chuck's and began to tighten the laces. "Happy now? We're going."

"Knock, knock," a booming voice called from outside earning a round of warning barks from Sammy as he dashed to protect Bella from the unseen threat.

"Hey Jake, come on in!" Bella called from the couch as she finished tying her shoes.

"Hidey ho there neighbor!" Jacob boomed as he threw open the door. Sammy immediately took up a more defensive position in front of Bella and gave the large man a warning growl. "Oh cool, I heard there was a dog around here somewhere!" Jake exclaimed excitedly.

"Sammy," Bella scolded the growling dog, "be nice." She pushed the protective dog aside and stepped forward to hug Jake, earning another low growl from Sammy. "Oh hush," she chastised again giving the dog a disapproving frown.

"Ah Bells, don't be so hard on the guy," Jake said, "he's just protecting his pretty lady from the big scary incredibly good looking man. You should be flattered."

Bella just rolled her eyes as she tried to suppress the blush that was threatening to stain her cheeks and decided to change the subject.

"Have you seen Charlie or Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber anywhere?" She asked as she sank down to the floor in order to scratch Sammy's back.

"Charlie yeah," Jake replied as she put his fingers out for Sammy to sniff before scratching the large dog behind the ears. "He went out with Sam early this morning to check our water reserves. Haven't seen your brother or sister since yesterday though, maybe they're hanging out with the new arrivals? I heard the kid is quite the charmer."

Bella let out a soft laugh. "Oh yeah, he's a charmer alright. He'll charm you out of every sugary substance you have if you're not careful."

"Good to know," Jake chuckled, "I'll be sure to hide my Sour Patch Kids."

"Good idea. Anyway, I was just about to take Sammy here for a walk if you want to come with. Then we can get back to work on inventorying the supplies."

"Sounds like a plan," Jacob agreed while looking around the small room. "Uh, does he need a leash or something?"

Bella shook her head as she opened the door. "Nah, he's trained to stay close besides, where would he go? We are on a mesa."

"I guess you're right," Jacob conceded as he watched Sammy dart eagerly out the door before gesturing for Bella to go first and pulling the door closed after them.

The pair strolled silently out of the village behind the excited dog, content for the time to enjoy the stillness of the morning. They had been walking for a over ten minutes before Jacob finally decided to break the silence.

"So, are you going to tell me how you know the newcomers and why you're so familiar with a dog that obviously doesn't belong to any of them or am I going to have to guess?"

Bella flopped down on an outcropping of rock while Sammy continued to run in circles, sticking his nose in every nook and cranny he could find. "Oh geeze Jake, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I wasn't trying to keep anything from you on purpose. What do you want to know?"

Jacob shrugged as he settled himself next to the petite woman. "I guess I would just start with who they are and go from there."

"Eh okay," Bella agreed.

She bit her lip as she searched for the words necessary to explain and eventually settled for a substandard explanation. There was no way she could adequately convey who Rosalie was to her using only the English language.

"Um well, Rosalie Hale has been one of my best friends for years. We met during our Junior year of college. We were trapped in a series of extra long classes and would have gone insane from chronic boredom if we had never met. She has less fear than anyone else I've ever met and has no issues with speaking her mind. She's a few years older than I am and had a couple of rough years after high school. When we met she was putting herself through college and supporting not only herself but her son Jack as well. She's an amazing mother and an even more unbelievable friend. If it hadn't been for the two of you I would definitely have been lost."

"Bells," Jacob interrupted, "sorry. Where's Jack's father? I get the feeling the guy who came with them isn't his Dad. Did they have to leave him behind when they left the city?"

Bella shook her head. "No, they didn't leave him behind but as for who Jack's father is, that's not really my story to tell. Let's just put that under the category of 'shit that happened before I met Rose' and leave it at that."

"Oh alright," Jacob shifted uncomfortably, "so uh, how old is Jack?"

Bella furrowed her brow, she had never been good with ages and had to thing about his question for a moment. "Um, well when I met him he had just turned three so that would make him eight now."

"Cool," Jake nodded as he rose to his feet and extended his hand to help his friend to her feet. "We should probably walk and talk before the dog ditches us," he explained. "So what do you know about this other guy?"

She shrugged. "Nothing really. Rosalie said they met Jasper in the city while they were hiding out inside of a Costco. I really didn't get a chance to talk to him much but anyone who goes through so much to save a woman and her child can't be all bad."

By now the group had reentered the small village and were greeted by a smattering of survivors going about their daily chores effectively ending their conversation for the time being saving Bella from having to explain how she knew Sammy.

"You're stalling," Jake whispered as they left Kim's house causing Bella to look up at him with an unreadable expression. "How do you know the dog?" he asked. "He's obviously not Jasper's since you've never met the guy and if he belonged to Jack I'm sure he wouldn't have left the boy's side which leads me to believe he belongs to someone else so spill."

Bella's entire form seemed to curl up upon itself before she lifted her head and squared her shoulders. She refused to let her past effect her in such a negative way any longer. The time for her to be sad and broken Bella was over, heartbreak was a luxury she could no longer afford.

"He's my ex-boyfriend Edward's dog," she admitted earning a horrified look from Jacob.

Jake knew a lot about what had gone on between his best friend and her ex-boyfriend but not everything. What he did know was how broken Bella had looked when they had first met. Some of the zeds he had encountered looked more alive than she had. It had taken months to see her really come out of her shell and he'd be damned if he was going to allow that bastard to reenter her life again.

"What do you mean he's Edward's dog?" He growled angrily.

"I mean just that," she shrugged like it was no big deal. "Rose said he and Sammy were with Jasper when they found her and Jack hiding in Costco and eventually they helped them escape with the store was overrun."

"Well isn't that a nice little tidbit you happened to leave out earlier," he spat causing Bella to flinch slightly. "So, where is the bastard now?" he demanded looking around like he expected Edward to jump out and attack them at any moment.

"Fruck, relax Jake," Bell soothed as she placed her small hand on his arm. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it before, I just really didn't want to talk about it. He's not here, Rosalie and Jasper lost him on the way. Apparently he decided to play around and since neither told him where they were going, they lost him. There's no way in hell he's going to find us so far out here."

"I don't know Bells," Jacob replied uncertainly, "your friend sure found us with no problems and so did Esme if you remember."

Bella sighed and shook her head. "It wasn't a coincidence Jake. I told Rosalie about this place years ago and she was the neighbor Esme told us about. Rosalie remembered what I had said and told Esme where to go, not really a mystery about how she got here. Yes, Edward finding Rose was weirdly coincidental but that's where the coincidences end. Besides, even I can't be that unlucky."

Jacob fixed her with a disbelieving gaze. "I don't know Bells, sometimes I think we should change your name to Murphy but if you're sure…" he trailed off before his head snapped up."What the-"

"Sammy, Sammy!" Bella called in vain as the large dog took off barking toward the sounds drifting toward them from a house a few streets over.

"Don't worry," Jake called over his shoulder as he began jogging toward the disturbance. "I'll get him and get this all sorted. Why don't you get started on the inventory and I'll meet up with you soon."

Bella scowled at the large man's retreating back. She hated that her stupid injuries kept getting in the way. She was sick of being an invalid and decided to follow the noises, she really couldn't come up with a good reason not to.

The scene Jacob came upon was certainly not something he had suspected. Outside the house that had been assigned to Jasper, Bella's father was shouting until he was nearly purple in the face while Emmett had another man pinned against the adobe wall. All the while, Sammy growled menacingly as Rosalie screamed at the three men.

"Hey, hey!" Jake shouted, finally gaining the attention of the angry crowd. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded.

"This- this," Charlie sputtered angrily, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Sensing that Charlie wasn't going to be any help, Jake turned his attention toward Emmett. "Could you explain to me what's going on? Why in god's name do you have this guy pinned against the wall?"

"I knew I recognized him yesterday, I just couldn't place the face with all," Emmett explained as he gestured to the man's dirty and beaten appearance with his one free hand, "this in the way."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jacob demanded still not understanding. "Who is this?"

"This," Rosalie answered gesturing toward the restrained man, "would be the infamous Edward Cullen."

"Mother fucker," Jake growled as he advanced toward the object of his ire. He had never wanted to cause someone pain so badly. He was just about to take a swing when he heard Bella's voice calling out to him from around the corner.

Emmett squeezed his eyes shut but didn't let up on his hold of Edward. "Shit man, this is not good. You've got to get her out of here."

"I'll uh- I'll take care of this," Jacob stammered nervously as he turned on his heel, "someone take care of that dog."

While he had no desire to keep things from Bella, Jacob was worried about her reaction to Edward's presence and hoped he could convince her to leave well enough alone until he could figure out how to break it to her, preferably after he beat the shit out of the guy and possibly threw him from the mesa.

As Bella rounded the corner Jacob jogged forward to meet her with Rosalie hot on his heels "So hey, found your brother," Jacob chuckled uncomfortably as he and Rosalie tried to shield Edward from Bella's view.

"What the frock Jake?" Bella demanded angrily as she tried to peer around the human blockade. "What's going on? What did Emmett do now?"

"Hey," Emmett protested indignantly.

"Oh um, it's just a little disagreement," Jake replied. "Nothing too serious. No need to worry I've got this under control so why don't you just-," she never heard his suggestion as she chose that moment to dart around her friends to find out what was going on for herself since it was obvious they were all trying to keep something from her and her family was in on it.

Bella took one look at the scene in front of her glancing from her father's sheepish face to Emmett's defensive stance before her eyes settled on the face that had haunted her every dream for the past five years. Now as he stood just feet away she couldn't make sense of the billions of thoughts that were running amuck in her mind.

"Bella," Edward cried out from where he was still pinned against the wall by her brother. "Bells please, say something," Edward begged before Emmett pushed him harder into the wall cutting off his ability to speak.

As she stared blankly at the beautiful man who had once held the key to her heart before he decimated her spirit, there was only one word that came shining through the mess of Bella's thoughts in response to his plea.

"Fuck."

**XXVIII**

**XXVIII**

**XXVIII**

_I'm sorry it took so long I know I'm terrible but its been one hell of a week. Anyway I hope you liked it, did you guys catch the final word? I've been waiting for Bella to drop the F-bomb for FOREVER! Let me know how I did and I'll catch you on the flip side my lovelies!_

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	29. Miss Teen Wordpower

**Miss Teen Wordpower**

**Today's song is Miss Teen Wordpower by The New Pornographers.**

"Holy shit," Emmett muttered under his breath, loosening his hold on Edward just enough for the other man to use the wall behind him as leverage and break free of Emmett's iron grip.

The slightly smaller man immediately dropped to the dusty ground but none of the silent spectators made any move to either restrain him or help him up. Instead, all eyes were focused on the small brunette who had stunned everyone present into complete silence with one adequately timed F-bomb.

"Bel-," Edward wheezed, "Bella. I'm um, I mean uh…" he grinned sheepishly as he dusted himself off and stood erect. "So uh, hey," he finished lamely as he ran his hand though his dirt caked hair completely unsure of what to say.

Bella made no move. She was doing such an excellent impersonation of a statue that Charlie would have feared she had gone into shock were it not for the slow clenching and unclenching of her jaw as she stared the crowd down.

"Fucking hell," Bella muttered looking toward the heavens and shaking her head in disgust.

"Oh my god you broke her!" Rosalie hissed at everyone present as she came out of her trance. "You fucking broke Bella!"

His eyes still wide with shock, Charlie hesitantly inched toward his immobile daughter as though she were some sort of unpredictable wild animal. "Bells it's okay, why don't you go back to the house?" he suggested. "We were just sending Edward here on his way then-" he was cut off when Bella suddenly shot her hand up, palm forward as a signal for him to stop speaking.

"Dad don't just, don't," Bella replied with a small shake of her head. She closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them, her formerly hard stare now morphing into a look of resignation. "Just," she scrunched up her face and exhaled heavily, "just find him somewhere to stay alright. We can come up with a job for him later there's no reason he can't stay here, it would be inhumane to send him off. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do."

As soon as she was finished speaking, Bella pivoted on her heel and started back the way she had come as though nothing monumental had just occurred while everyone watched her walk away in stunned silence.

"Well that was…" Jake trailed off as he watched Bella's small form turn the corner and disappear from sight.

"I know right? Awkward." Emmett agreed in disbelief. He was shocked by his sister's lack of emotion and wondered if perhaps he should follow her but Rosalie beat him to it.

"I'm going to go talk to her," the tenacious woman announced, striding after Bella, "you guys deal with, this," she gestured toward Edward's bedraggled form before hurrying out of sight.

Edward felt like he had just had the wind knocked out of him. He wasn't sure what he had expected from Bella but he sure as hell hadn't expected her indifference and complete dismissal. He would have taken any other emotion over this.

After Rosalie trotted away, the remaining men shared a shared a series of uneasy glances before looking pointedly away from one another and clearing their throats uncomfortably.

"So, uh," Charlie stroked his moustache uneasily.

"Uh-yeah," Emmett grunted uncomfortably, shifting his weight from one leg to another before the group lapsed back into oppressive silence.

After a few more minutes of throat clearing and uneasy foot shuffling, Jacob couldn't take it anymore and let out a huff.

"Alright this is fucking ridiculous, I'll take care of this shit. You two go do," he paused for moment, "whatever the fuck it is you two do. I'll take care of him," he said jerking his head to the side.

"Yeah, that's probably, sure," Emmett mumbled before also stalking off in the direction Rosalie and Bella had disappeared.

He had considered threatening Edward's life again to really drive his point home but decided that the possibly near permanent imprints his fists had made on Edward's body would be reminder enough.

Charlie, on the other hand, chose to linger for a moment longer. Striding forward, he placed himself directly in front of the younger man and stared him down with a look that would have struck pant shitting terror in any sane man's heart.

"Consider this your one and only warning boy," he growled, his moustache twitching to show his displeasure. "I may not know exactly what happened between you and my daughter but I know enough and I'm warning you here and now, if you ever hurt her again I swear to god I'll make those zombie hordes look like a bunch of geriatrics at naptime."

Not sure how to respond, Edward gulped and nodded his head silently in understanding. He wanted to tell Charlie that there was no way in hell he would ever intentionally hurt Bella again but Mr. Swan had always scared the shit out of him and so he chose instead to remain silent lest he sign his own death warrant.

Finally satisfied with the look of complete terror that had taken over the young man's features, Charlie stormed off leaving Edward alone with the large incredibly intimidating native man, unsure of what to expect.

Since arriving on the mesa he had been beaten, screamed at, threatened, and ignored all in the space of a few short hours. If it weren't for Bella's interference, he surely would have been fed to the clamoring masses of the undead like he surely deserved. As it was, he wasn't sure it wouldn't perhaps be better just to run off now to brave the throngs of roaming undead on his own rather than face the abuses he had suffered any longer. Before he could make up his mind, the stranger broke the tense silence.

"Jacob," the large man said gruffly putting his large hand forward to shake.

Edward eyed his hand warily for a moment expecting the large open hand to curl up into a fist at any moment. He paused briefly before finally extending his own arm and hesitantly clasping Jacob's hand, "Edward, Edward Cu-."

"Cullen," Jacob finished for him. "Oh trust me, I know who you are."

"Oh, uh yeah," Edward winced dropping his arm to his side while rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. "I suppose you might but I'm at a bit of a disadvantage 'cause I've never heard of a Jacob Black. Are you and," he gestured toward the place Bella had once stood rather than saying her name feeling as though it had a sort of taboo placed upon it, "are you two you know?" He asked unsure of which answer he would prefer.

When it came to Bella moving on Edward was conflicted. Part of him, the mature selfless part, wanted nothing more than for her to be happy no matter what that took yet another part of him was the same selfish, jealous asshole he had been since he was a small child. That selfish bastard was desperate to hear that she had been pining for only him. It was a war that had raged in his psyche for years yet as time had passed the more selfless feelings had begun to gain ground and although he was not consciously aware of it at the moment, Edward really did hope that whatever Jacob's answer, Bella was at least as happy as one can be in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

Jacob let out an amused snort. "You mean are me and Hell's Bells together? Oh hell no dude! What the hell gave you that idea?" He laughed. Edward couldn't stop the scowl that crossed his face as he couldn't see what Jacob found so amusing about the thought of dating Bella.

Noting Edward's reaction, Jacob decided to explain rather than start something with the new guy. He knew how important it was for every member of their small band of survivors to be willing to work together in order to survive. Besides, he was incredibly curious about the man's reactions to Bella.

From everything Bella had ever told him about her ex, Edward had broken up with her and run off with a new girl soon afterwards without hesitation but based on what Jacob had witnessed so far, it seemed as though Edward was perhaps not so over Bella as he had led her to believe. It was all very strange and he made a mental note to keep an eye on the pair's future interactions lest Edward do something stupid enough to potentially hurt Bella again.

"Hey now," Jacob chuckled , ", don't get me wrong, there's anything wrong with dating Bells, I mean what's not to like right? I mean she's good looking, smart as hell, and has saved everyone on this slab of rocks asses but I promise you man, she's not the one for me. I can confidently say now that she is one of the last living women on earth, I'm still not interested in her like that."

"That's uh, good," Edward said uncomfortably. "I mean not that it would matter to me if you were dating her. 'Cause it doesn't, matter that is," he rushed to assure Jacob. "I was just curious is all. Fuck," he muttered. "God that feels good to say. Fuck fuck fuckitty fuck fuck. You know she makes me feel weird about dropping the f-bomb? Makes me feel all twitchy when I can't properly express myself," he mumbled running his hands distractedly through his hair. "I mean what's the big fucking deal about saying fuck anyway? It's just a fucking word right? Anyway, this shit is driving me fucking nuts. Do you know where I can get a fucking cigarette? I haven't had a decent smoke in a long ass time and I feel like I could just crawl out of my fucking skin right about now, I'm going fucking crazy."

As Jacob watched, the man who had broken his best friend's heart began to pace anxiously while spewing verbal diarrhea about Bella's refusal to use the word fuck except in extreme circumstances, he could only imagine what Edward had gone through recently. Based on his appearance and the collective stories of both Rosalie and Jasper he had been through one hell of a trip, it truly was amazing he had survived.

The physical and mental toll his journey to Acoma must have taken on the man, coupled with his nicotine withdrawals and the emotional turmoil the sudden reappearance of his ex in the middle of the desert must have caused had to be giving him hell. Jacob was anxious to get Edward somewhere secluded so he could sleep the worst of his rapidly approaching nervous breakdown off rather than allow him to roam free and cause more damage than he already had.

"Hey man you look pretty beaten up. Come with me and I'll get you fixed up with somewhere to stay so you can get cleaned up and then I'll see what I can do about your cigarette problem as well as getting you something to eat. Sound good?" Jacob offered, prepared to drag the smaller man off if necessary.

Edward stopped his nervous pacing and nodded in response. He was anxious to get somewhere, preferably private, where he could lose his shit without everyone watching. The past few days had been hell on earth and he felt his walls crumbling quickly, already feelings he had kept bottled up were beginning to spew forth like a soda full of Mentos. Not good.

Without a moment's hesitation, Jacob began striding in the direction opposite to the route Bella had taken. He was certain without a shadow of a doubt that housing Edward near the Swans would be an epically stupid decision so he had decided on a house far enough away from Bella not to cause problems yet still close enough to the existing community not to make Edward feel ostracized. He was actually going to be bunking next door to Esme's dwelling somewhere no one else wanted to be due to the grisly nature of her research.

"So this is you," Jacob said as he ushered Edward into the cool dark interior of the small adobe dwelling. "Bedroom's just through there and the latrines at the end of the road. I'll be back with fresh water and some food in awhile so that you can get washed up and get something to eat. I'll also check around for some smokes. While I'm gone you might want to lay down for awhile 'cause I'll be honest, you look like shit. In fact some of the zeds I've seen look more alive than you do right now."

"Gee thanks," Edward replied sarcastically before yawning loudly and collapsing heavily onto the worn looking sofa, suddenly far too drained to stumble the few steps toward the small bedroom. "Maybe I will lie down for a while," he mumbled wearily as he stretched himself out, "just for awhile though."

"For sure man, for sure," Jacob agreed as he began backing out the screened door. "I'll just see about those cigarettes for you." He received no response Edward had already succumbed to unconsciousness.

Time to find out what the fuck is going on around here, Jacob thought as he shut the door behind him. Bella's reaction to Edward's sudden appearance was certainly not something he would ever have expected. He assumed Rosalie had told her ahead of time that they had been traveling together so that would explain why she didn't seem surprised to see him but her lack of emotional response had him concerned.

When Jacob and Bella had first become close, Bella had confided in him about some of her past with Edward Cullen. He knew just how deeply in love with him she had been and how certain she had been about their future. Not that Bella had been convinced that they were going to get married, buy a house, have lots of babies and live happily ever after. Those were more Alice's goals rather than Bella's. Instead Bella had just been more certain of their love for one another than she had been of anything before or since. His betrayal of that had rocked her to her very core and had torn her apart from the inside out, the damage so extensive that it took years just for a genuine smile to once again grace her lips.

Jacob knew all of this and so had expected some sort of confrontation. Personally he thought she should have really let Edward have it. He had witnessed in awe as Isabella Swan had ripped deserving individuals completely knew assholes on several occasions and felt that the verbal castration of her ex would have been warranted but she had barely uttered a peep. At worst she could have broken down in tears. The only indication she had given that she was now okay was her dropping of the f-bomb not once but twice. In the few years he had known Bella, Jacob had not once heard her let one slip, it was unheard of and judging by the reactions of Rosalie and the Swans, he wasn't the only one.

_**XXVIIII**_

_**XXVIIII**_

_**XXVIIII**_

_Okay I'm sorry! Believe me, I know it's been a long time and it was killing me too but I had to do some research, I actually went to Acoma Pueblo (yeah I didn't make any of the sky city up) and poked around so I could continue to make this story fairly realistic. I live in Albuquerque most of the year so everything about the city is legit in case you were wondering._

_Anyway I hope you all take pity on my soul and leave me some love and let me know what you think. I know this isn't the big confrontation you were all expecting but I promise you'll get your fireworks, SOON! Besides, it would be super predictable if Bella were to scream at Edward or break down and cry but my Bella has a pair of ginormous titanium balls._

_XOXO,_

_Bellarella_


	30. No Feelings

Disclaimer: I wish Twilight belonged to me, along with the hot redhead named Fred in the seat next to mine, oh well. Today's song is No Feelings by The Sex Pistols.

"Bells you've got to give me some answers here," Rosalie pleaded through the closed door from her spot, slouched against the wall. "What the hell happened back there?"

Her questions were met with silence, just as they had been for the past fifteen minutes and she wasn't going wait around any longer. Rather than wait for answers that may never come, she decided to be proactive and use any means necessary to extract her information.

After a quick scrounge through the supplies downstairs, she found what she was looking for, a metal shish kebob skewer.

"Alright Isabella," she mumbled under her breath as she trekked back up the stairs, "I guess we're going to have to do things my way."

As quietly as possible, the precocious blonde began to fiddle with the tumblers in the doorknob before finding a sweet spot and releasing the lock.

"Gotcha mother fucker!" she exclaimed triumphantly as she threw open the wooden door and hurried inside. "Alright Bella, time for some answers!"

Bella looked up from the small desk she was working at and pulled a pair of headphones out of her ears, the music so loud it was audible even to Rosalie from across the small room.

"What was that?" Bella shouted before lowering her voice. "Sorry, I mean what was that?"

Rosalie squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples in frustration. "Have you heard anything I've been saying for the past fifteen minutes?"

Bella furrowed her brow before shaking her head. "Nope sorry," she shrugged. "I've been up here trying to figure this crap out and I turned on some music to help me concentrate," she replied gesturing to the tacks of maps and ledgers scattered across the small workspace.

"Concen- never mind," Rosalie shook her head. It truly was inconceivable to her that anyone could actually concentrate on anything other than the bleeding in their eardrums with the volume turned up so high.

"I want answers Bella and don't think you're going to get out of it," she demanded while seating herself on the small, unmade bed. "What happened back there?"

With a sigh Bella turned off her music completely and carefully wound up her headphones before looking back up. "I was just surprised is all, it's nothing to worry about. I'm good."

Rose let out a snort of disbelief. "Good? Good! Are you fucking kidding me right now Bella? I've never, never heard you say fuck, ever and you said it not once but twice! Do you hear me? Two goddamn times!"

"Look Rose what do you want me to say?" Bella huffed getting agitated. "Do you want me to tell you that I'm so mad that I want to bash some heads in or that everything is hunky dory and I'm great now that I got that out of my system because I'm not. Okay? Honestly I don't even know what to do with my hands right now!" She declared throwing her hands up over her head.

"I'm pissed and hurt and freaking shocked right now and yet amazingly still pretty numb all at once and I'm not really sure what to do right now. Did I let a few f-bombs fly? Yeah. So what? It's not like I can't say that word, I just don't like to. It makes me feel dirty. I'm just- ugh!" she leapt to her feet and began pacing the small room, her hands still in the air as Rosalie watched in stunned disbelief.

"Nothing is making sense right now," Bella ranted. "None of this should even be possible. The dead shouldn't be walking and Edward Cullen shouldn't be within five hundred miles of me and yet here I am, hiding from zombies on a mesa amidst the ruins of an ancient civilization in the middle of the desert with Edward frocking Cullen. Fmuck!" she shouted before throwing herself backwards onto the bed next to Rosalie, hands still in the air.

The small bed groaned and let out a sickening metallic squeal before collapsing onto the floor with a loud thud, the combined weight of the two women too much for its ancient aluminum frame to handle. For a moment there was complete silence before Bella snickered with Rosalie quickly following suit.

The snickering soon changed into giggles with quickly transformed into gut busting laughter. "This is not real life!" Rosalie gasped out between laughing fits, "that scared the begeezus out of me!"

Immediately Bella stopped laughing and cocked her head to the side, a sure sign she was pondering something earth shattering. "Rose," she said, "what exactly is a begeezus?"

Rosalie gasped for breath as she considered the small brunette's question. "Eh, I don't know actually," she admitted with a shrug, "it's just something I've always heard people say."

"Hum," Bella replied quietly as she mulled it over, "I'm pretty sure it's a small squirt of pee." She declared finally.

"A what?" Rosalie laughed.

"A small squirt of pee. That would explain why it can get scared out of you again and again. It has to be something that replenishes itself doesn't it? And when people get scared sometimes they pee a little. It makes sense," she reasoned seriously.

Rosalie face palmed before answering. "I swear you're from a different planet you know that? A small squirt of pee. Where do you come up with this crap?"

"Dunno," Bella replied airily as she sat up and struggled to get off the crushed bed, "I'm just special I guess."

"Oh you're special alright," Rose conceded with an emphatic nod and a roll of her eyes as she too got to her feet. "Now, stop trying to distract me and give me some answers."

Bella just stuck out her tongue and walked back over to her desk. "I don't know what to do Rose," she admitted as she began shuffling papers around. "You know what he did, how am I supposed to react to that?"

"Actually Bells," Rosalie replied crossing the room and perching herself carefully upon the edge of the desk, "I don't know what happened between you two, not really anyway. Now if you told me maybe I could…"

Bella shook her head, "I'm sorry Rose I just can't. If I get into it right now it's going to bring up old feelings and now's just not the time for that."

"Well when will it be the time for that?" Rosalie demanded. "Because it's pretty fucking obvious to me that you two have some unresolved issues and the sooner you get them out there the better."

The woman beside her was silent for a moment while she stared out the window into the clear blue sky beyond. "I wish it were that easy Rose but it's just, not. I don't have the luxury of being able to get in touch with my emotions right now or any of that touchy feely shit. Right now I need to focus on surviving and making sure everyone else up here does too. Besides you know that's not really my style. All you need to know is he left okay? That's it. I'm over it. Right now, I'm over it."

"Bells-," Rosalie scolded.

"No Rose, I'm serious," Bella cut her off and looked her square in the eye. "Those kinds of emotions are a luxury I just don't have time for right now. I'm just going to – god I don't know. Ignore him? Treat him like nothing ever happened? I don't know, it doesn't really matter. I just need to keep my head in the game. The past is the past for a reason you know? Right now we just need to focus on making it to tomorrow."

"But," Rosalie was suddenly interrupted by a loud banging coming from downstairs. "Uh, what now?" she moaned as Bella jumped up and bounded down the stairs obviously glad to once again escape the conversation.

Rosalie climbed down the stairs more slowly than her best friend and paused for a moment to listen to the conversation drifting up from the floor below.

"Picked it up about an hour or so ago," a man's voice said, "Sam told me to ask you to come take a listen."

She didn't hear Bella's response but her questions about what was happening were soon answered when Bella's face appeared at the foot of the stairs.

"Sorry Rose, I've gotta split. We're picking up some kind of radio broadcast and they need my help."

"Sorry my ass," Rose retorted with a small smile. "Don't think you're getting off that easily Swan. I will have my answers one way or another," she shook her finger threateningly.

"Sure, sure," Bella replied dismissively over her shoulder as she hurried out the front door behind a dark haired teen leaving Rosalie feeling frustrated and wholly unsatisfied.

As Bella followed Seth to the small communications center Sam had set up in one of the unoccupied houses, she couldn't stop herself from crossing her fingers as she sent a silent plea into the universe for some sort of good news. Seth had come to inform her that Sam had picked up some sort of government broadcast while he was scanning the airwaves.

Since the outbreak had started, the survivors on the mesa had been scanning the airwaves for news from the outside world while maintaining radio silence. To broadcast their location would only invite trouble and they already had more than enough of that as it was.

Upon arriving at Sam's house, Seth didn't bother with knocking before through the door and plopping himself down in an unoccupied recliner.

"What've you got for me?" Bella questioned as she perched on the arm of Seth's seat and focused her attention on Sam's hunched form.

"News broadcast," he replied with a sigh, leaning back in his chair as he rolled his head back onto his shoulders trying in vain to relieve some of the tension that had built up there. "It's a little garbled because of our location but they've been replaying it every fifteen minutes so I've been able to piece together the message."

Bella hopped up from her perch and joined him by the radio equipment. "And?"

"And it's not looking good. The military is retreating to the north trying to circle the wagons if you will. My guess is this thing spread so quickly in the south that they're scrambling for a foothold. The stations are all broadcasting the locations of so called 'safe zones' but from the chatter out there on the short wave, it seems as though most of those have already been overrun."

"Shit," Bella breathed as she processed what this meant for their survival. She had really hoped that the government would launch a campaign that would stop this madness but it seemed as though that would never happen now.

"There's more," Sam continued, interrupting her thoughts. "There are civilian broadcasts flooding the airwaves about which areas have been overrun and it's spreading faster than we thought. The numbers they describe," he trailed off.

"But we're going to be okay right?" Seth piped up anxiously from his seat reminding the adults of his presence.

Bella and Sam exchanged a worried glance before she pasted a reassuring smile on her face and turned to address the worried teen. "Course we will," she assured him with a grin. "No way anything could find us all the way out here and even if it did we're so well protected it's ridiculous." Seth seemed content to take Bella's word for it and sank back into his seat.

"Uh hey Seth, could you uh go check on Esme for me?" Sam asked trying to find an excuse to get the kid out of the room. No reason to worry him any more than necessary. "Make sure she's getting along okay and see if she needs anything."

"Sure man," the teen replied as he hopped to his feet and scuttled out the door, happy to be of use.

"Nice," Bella complimented the older man who just shrugged.

"No need to get the kid all riled up over something we can't do anything about. Anyway, I'd like you to take over for me for a while, don't want to miss anything important. I need to see a man about a horse if you catch my drift."

"Ew," Bella wrinkled her nose and shooed him out the door. "Go. Do what you have to do, I'll be here when you get back." With a smirk Sam stood and stretched before out the door. "Get yourself something to eat while you're at it!" Bella shouted at his retreating form before turning her attention to the set-up before her.

With a glance towards the heavens, Bella offered up another silent prayer for good news before donning a pair of oversized headphones. After a few minutes of listening it became very clear that what she was hearing was not good news, in fact it was far from it.

Just as Sam had said, the airwaves were flooded with canned government issued messages about safe zones and survival tips that were sure to get people killed. Bella hung her head in disgust before switching over to the short wave broadcasts where things were no better.

As she listened to the desperation in some of the peoples' voices she felt her heart begin to break. While she wanted desperately to rush out and help the poor souls begging for help as zeds surrounded their houses she knew there was nothing she could do but prey that their end would come swiftly.

The weapons they had on the mesa wouldn't put even a dent in the hordes some were describing and it would be far too dangerous to send such green fighters into a fight like that. Besides, she reasoned, they were all so far away that by the time she reached them it would already be too late. It was thoughts like those she knew would haunt her until her dying day, however soon that may be.


	31. Riot Radio

**Riot Radio**

**Today's song is Riot Radio by the Dead 60's. The zombie apocalypse is coming, are you prepared?**

The news on the airwaves never improved and eventually instead of bad news pouring in, the residents of the mesa were greeted with near suffocating silence. Occasionally, a lonely soul would grace the airwaves looking for a modicum of living comfort in the world of the dead but as much as they wanted to reach out, the survivors atop the ancient mesa dared not speak.

As the weeks went by, the need for silence became more and more apparent. While it was true that radio communications often were from harmless survivors there were also the occasional reports of raiders.

Groups of survivors had begun to befriend others over the radio, getting them to disclose more information than what was wise and before long they would find their locations and strike in ways that made the hordes of ravenous zeds roaming the streets seem like a flock of butterflies. And so it was agreed that silence on the shortwave would be kept and the CB would only be used in case of an emergency.

"Bella, Bells, B, Belly bean," Emmett nagged.

Bella took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had given Charlie her word that she wouldn't murder her brother unless he really, really deserved it.

"Can I help you with something Emmett?" She ground out between her clenched teeth.

"I'm bored," he whined throwing his six and a half foot frame down onto a pile of empty burlap sacks.

Bella snorted. "You're- are you freakin' kidding me right now?"

Emmett shrugged, "Um no?"

Bella closed her eyes and massaged the spot between her eyebrows, trying to relieve some of the building tension. She was certain she could feel a headache brewing.

"There are a million and one jobs that need to be done before the first freeze hits in order for us to have any chance at surviving the winter and you're bored. Seriously? You can't find anything to do?"

Emmett sat up and looked idily around the quickly emptying store room as Bella was forced to recount the small supply of canned goods for the third time.

"I wanted to help out in the fields but there wasn't any room for me in the truck. There was too much equipment to haul," he explained.

"Charlie?"

"I already finished my guard shift and you know how strict he is about taking time off between shifts."

"Geeze Em I don't know, maintenance?"

"Nope," he popped his p loudly, "Rose and Jake have got it handled and before you suggest that I help out with dinner or fabrics let me first remind you that I've lit water on fire and that our dear baby sister is running fabrics so unless you want deaths on your hands…" he trailed off.

"Dammit Emmett!" Bella shouted, dropping the worn clipboard to her side. "I don't have time for-," in the distance a dog barked and Bella trailed off, "this. Actually," she paused for a beat, "you know what Em? I do have a job for you. Really perfect actually."

Emmett perked up quickly and scrambled to his feet. "You do?"

Bella smoothed a few loose tendrils of hair back into her messy ponytail and nodded. "Oh yeah, super important too. In fact, you will have our future entirely in your care."

"I'm in," he declared with an air of determination and self-importance.

"Great, follow me," Bella directed as she strode purposefully out the door pausing only a moment to hang the clipboard on a rusty nail. Chest puffed out and shoulders back, Emmett followed closely behind.

"No, nope, ho way," Emmett hissed as 'the future' attempted to scale him like a mountain.

"You said you were in," Bella pointed out with a smirk as she pulled Jack off of her disgruntled older brother and sent him scurrying away to fetch is toys.

Emmett glowered darkly down at his younger sister. "You didn't tell me I'd be a babysitter. You said I'd be protecting 'our future'." He air quoted.

The small brunette grinned. "And you will be," she assured him. "Haven't you ever heard that the children are our future?" She chuckled at her own brilliance.

Emmett growled. "Not funny Isabella."

"Look Em," Bella sighed and decided it was time to put all joking aside. "I really do need someone to watch over Jack and Sammy while everyone else is working. Jack's the most vulnerable and most precious thing we have. If shit hits the fan Rose and I need to know that whatever happens he'll be safe and you're the only one who can guarantee that."

"But-"

"Please Emmy," she begged. "I'm serious. You took care of both Alice and I after mom died so dealing with little kids isn't new to you. You're also the strongest guy I know and I have no doubt in my mind that if things went bad you'd make it out alright. Besides," she added as the small blonde boy ran back toward them excitedly brandishing his prized action figures, "Jack loves you."

"He does?" Emmett asked quietly.

Bella nodded. "Rose told me he talks about you constantly. Apparently you're the strongest man in the world and you should be on pajamas."

The large man's ears turned pink and he tried to hide his pleasure. "Well, I mean," he coughed, "alright fine. But no diapers!"

Jack wrinkled his nose in disgust as he passed Bella one of his toys to examine. "I don't wear diapers, only babies and old people wear those Mr. Em. Oh and little monkeys too buts that's cause they like to throw their poops."

The little boy's explanation was delivered in such a matter-of-fact way that both adults found themselves struggling no to laugh.

"Uh," Bella coughed to clear her throat, "right you are bud. Anyway, Emmett here is going to be your new babysitter for when you're mom's working."

Once again, Jack wrinkled his nose in disgust. Apparently these people didn't know anything about big kids like him. "I don't need a babysitter Auntie Bella," he rolled his eyes. "I'm not a baby."

"Course not little dude," Emmett sank down to his knee to be closer to the boy's level. "No way someone like you needs a-," he snorted like the thought was ridiculous, "babysitter. You're way too awesome and grown up for that nonsense. That's why I'm here instead of someone lame, like Alice." Jack raised an eyebrow and Bella hid her smile behind her hand.

"Yeah dude," he continued, "you're actually so awesome that your Auntie Bella had decided you need a bodyguard."

Jack's face lit up and he began to bounce excitedly on the balls of his feet. "A bodyguard?" He yelped liking the sound of this.

"Sure dude, I'm here to hang out and keep you safe when your mom isn't around. You know, guard you from crazy fans and stuff."

"So, not a babysitter?"

"Not a babysitter," Emmett assured him.

Jack fist pumped, "Sweet!"

"Well I've got to get back to work," Bella began to say then smiled realizing no one was listening to a word she had to say. The two had already begun comparing the powers of superman to those of the green lantern and she knew they were lost to her.

Tired of taking inventory of the dwindling stores, Bella decided to take a walk around to check on how the various groups were fairing. After the last group of survivors had arrived, it had been decided that everyone should be assigned a work detail based on their individual skill set and what the community needed most in order to survive.

Charlie had been quick to take up the defenses and with Jasper's help had set up an impressive training regime that everyone, including Jack, was required to participate in.

Rosalie and Jacob had immediately signed up to maintain the various vehicles and other mechanical equipment. It was important that everything remain in good working order should it be needed in an emergency. Others, like Alice, Emmett, and Edward had been harder to find jobs for.

Alice had found her calling in fabrics only because of her love of clothes. She was heading up a small group that was good at sewing as they worked to create quilts and blankets out of scraps of fabric and old clothing that couldn't be mended. It was something that would make a huge difference in the coming winter months when the temperature dropped.

Edward had had a much harder time of it, even more so than Emmett who hadn't found his job before that day but was good at such an array of things that he could usually complete any task given to him. Edward had his sarcastic attitude working against him. After being kicked off of or intimidated by each work detail, he had eventually agreed to become Esme's reluctant assistant since on one else wanted the grisly job of dissecting and studying the rotting zed remains that she had collected.

After checking in on Alice and Charlie, Bella realized it was time for her turn manning the radio again. With a grimace she changed her path and made her way toward the small building she had come to hate. She knew that if it existed in the future, she would need some serious psychiatric help after this ordeal.

She had listened to the broadcast deaths of hundreds if not thousands since arriving in Acoma. She hardly ever slept anymore and when she did her dreams quickly morphed into gruesome nightmares made worse by the knowledge that the very real events they were based on had actually been much more gruesome and terrifying that she could even imagine.

"We've got walkers!" A familiar voice squawked over the radio, drawing Bella out of her ruminations about her mental stability. They were supposed to be maintaining radio silence on the radio so hearing Jacob's voice over the airwaves was certainly startling.

With unsteady hands she fumbled for the CB. "J- I mean Wolf is that you?" she hastily corrected herself as she remembered almost too late that they had decided to use call signs should they have to break radio silence at some point.

"10-4 little Swan," he replied. "Got a horde moving our way."

"How is that even possible?" Bella mumbled to herself. Their position should be far enough from any other human settlement that walkers shouldn't be drawn to their position.

"How far out?" she called back.

"'Bout two miles south of the nest," came the garbled reply.

"What's the count?" She asked scrambling for a notebook and a map. She he decided that is was important to track the movement of hordes in order to track their behavior. So far all they really knew about zeds was what they had experienced so far mixed with a vast array of theories derived from movies and comics.

"I'm counting seventeen, over."

"Seventeen crap," she mumbled to herself. "Alright Wolf, I'm on my way out to get some intel on our visitors. Meet me at the pick-up point, in ten, over."

"Roger that little Swan."

Disconnecting from the radio equipment was harder than she had anticipated and Bella found herself struggling to untangle herself from the multitude of wires that had somehow become wrapped around her frame during her short stay in the radio hut.

Poking her head out the front door of the house, she spotted Jared passing by and waved him over.

"Sup Bells?" He asked between bites of his apple.

"Need you to watch the radio for me, I've got to go meet Jake and collect some info on a horde moving our way," she explained hurriedly.

Jared frowned slightly. "Sure you don't want me to come with?"

Bella shook her head. "No I've got it. Jake has the dirt bikes so we'll be fine. Just cover for me k?"

"You've got it but be careful!" Jared called as she dashed toward the staircase.

After quickly explaining the situation to Kim who was on guard duty and reassuring her that she didn't need any assistance at the moment, Bella cautiously wound her way down the ancient staircase. She didn't relish another extended stay in her sickbed because of something stupid like a cracked skull.

After a few minutes of careful descent, she could hear the rumble of engines down below. Speeding up slightly she carefully withdrew her gun as she came around the final blind corner.

"Took you long enough," Rose chastised as Bella slipped the gun back into the small holster she had begun wearing and accepted her helmet.

Bella shrugged but offered no apology. "You going up to check on Jack?"

"Yep. I've got to go see what kind of damage he's caused."

"Well last I saw him he was with Emmett near the sandbox."

"Emmett?" Rosalie asked confusion written on her face.

"I'll let them explain. Anyway, I left Jared in charge of the radio station but he's not great with the equipment so you might want to check in on him and maybe take over in case we call in."

"Do you want me to send Charlie and Jasper down to help take care of the horde?"

Bella glanced over at Jacob's relaxed posture before shaking her head. "Not yet. Let them know what's going and keep them alert but don't send them down yet. I'm hoping they're just moving through but I need to check things out before we make any decisions."

"Alright, if you're sure," Rose agreed. "But if I don't hear from you in the next thirty minutes your ass is mine," she warned.

"Got it," Bella assured her before slipping the helmet over her head and swinging her leg over the empty dirt bike.

Seeing that Bella was ready to go, Jacob kicked off and led the way toward where he and Rosalie had last spotted the small horde. The two sped through the empty desert and eventually up a small bluff. Storing their bikes, they decided to proceed on foot since they weren't sure how well zeds could hear.

"See em?" Jake asked passing Bella his binoculars.

"No, wait. Yep I see them. Took me a minute with the amount of dust they're throwing up. There's seventeen alright. Any idea where they came from?"

Jacob shook his head. "Not yet. I was thinking maybe we should circle around them and follow their tracks for a while to find out. Looks like they're heading right for us though doesn't it?"

Bella peered once again through the binoculars before lowering them with a sigh. "Sure does. Shit. I really wish we knew more about them. I have no idea how they found us so far out here."

"Dunno," Jake shrugged. "Maybe Esme has some ideas or we could test a few theories out for ourselves in just a bit."

Bella cast him a sideways look. "What did you have in mind?"

Rolling off of his elbows and onto his back, Jacob sat up before climbing to his feet and dusting himself off. Offering Bella a hand up he pulled her quickly to her feet and began walking back down toward where they had left their bikes.

"I was thinking we could test their senses after we cull the horde. You know see how well they see, track sound, and smell. I mean I guess they might also be heat sensitive but that wouldn't really help them out here," he gestured to the desert surrounding them.

Bella bit her lip as she considered his suggestion. It would make sense but there were a lot of factors to consider such as the sound of gunshots should they decide to take down a portion of the group to make them easier to deal with.

"Lemme think about it for a few minutes," she requested as she remounted her bike. "I need to figure out a way to do this safely."

Jacob shrugged. "Sure, sure. Anyway, just follow me around the horde since I know the lay of the land a lot better than you do."

Bella nodded silently and strapped her helmet back on, her day was about to get a hell of a lot more interesting.


	32. I Start To Run

**I Start To Run**

**Today's song is I Start To Run, by White Denim. This chapter is for Michelle, I hope you enjoy it.**

Bella followed Jacob deeper into the desert on their dirt bikes as they skirted the stumbling horde of undead. It wasn't hard to determine from what direction they had come as their path was plainly worn into the arid landscape. While they rode, Bella tried to come up with a way to silently cull the horde without attracting too much attention.

After reaching the back of the horde of undead, Bella motioned for Jake to pullover and take off his helmet. "What's up Bells?" He asked after removing his helmet and resting it atop his handlebars.

"They're definitely here from some point to the south. We could follow their trail further back to try to find where they came from for sure but what's the point really?" She asked with a shrug. "The last of us to come up from the south were my family and I and that was quite a while ago. I honestly doubt they would have been able to track us this well, the road winds around a lot on the way here and besides like I said, it's been weeks. Judging from their clothes and the general mismatch I'd say they're a bug out group gone bad and I'd guess someone or somethin' else stirred them up and led them out here which is far more of a worry right now."

Jake nodded his head in agreement and wiped some sweat from his brow with a tattered handkerchief he pulled out of the back pocket of his worn out jeans. "Agreed. So, whadda ya think we should do now that they're here? I mean, it's not like we can just leave them and hope none of us ever stumble across one of them. If they come across the guys when they're workin' in the fields or somethin'- we just can't take the chance."

Bella bit her lip as she gave the matter some thought. "I think we should try to take them out one at a time by going at them from behind," she suggested. "When we get close enough we can just put a bullet through their brains from close range. I can't come up with any better way off the top of my head since we don't really have any better weapons at the moment. The sound is going to suck but I doubt it's going to be any worse than us riding around on these bikes, they're not exactly stealthy," she pointed out.

Jacob frowned unhappy with the direction this plan was apparently headed. "So what, you wanna just start from the back and work our way forward or go in from the sides just shooting and hoping we hit them in the head? Sounds risky," he said with a shake of his head while he once again dabbed at his sweat drenched forehead. "Maybe if we dodge in, pick one off and dive out of the way they'll start to spread apart trying to get to us," he suggested but Bella shook her head in disagreement.

"That's too slow. I agree they need to spread apart but I think we should give them something to chase, that way they split apart more quickly and we can just pluck them off one at a time."

Jacob narrowed his dark eyes and pursed his lips unhappily. "Bells, I'm really not liking this plan," he admitted, "especially since I know you're going to want to be the one with the gun."

Bella chuckled, startling the large man. "Are you nuts?" She laughed as she pulled her helmet back on and flipped up the visor so he could hear her. "I'm way too likely to fall off of my bike if I'm driving and trying to shoot at the same time. No way. You're going to be the one with the gun. I'm going to be the bait." She flipped her visor back down without waiting for a response.

"Oh goo-wait what?" Jacob sputtered as he watched Bella rev the engine of her bike before kicking off and heading for the back of the horde. "Oh shit," he swore as he too pulled on his helmet and sped off after the zeds, "that bitch is gonna get her ass literally chewed off," he muttered darkly to himself as he followed Bella's trail.

As the pair sped off after their quarry, Bella tried to pay attention to any changes in the group's behavior. She knew that understanding the enemy was incredibly important and she wasn't willing to let this chance to study a group of zeds from relative safety go to waste.

As she came up closer to the horde she observed them come to a near halt as a collective group before turning their heads towards her direction in near unison, it was creepy. She knew she was coming in from downwind of the group so they couldn't be using their sense of smell or sight since she wasn't actually in their line of vision which led her to theorize that their sense of hearing was still very much intact although she couldn't rule out any of their other senses just yet.

Slowing her bike, she allowed herself to get almost within an arm's reach of the nearest zed which whipped the horde into a mad frenzy as they began jostling forward to try to get a hand on the fresh meat. Never stopping, Bella began slowly driving away from the mesa and further out into the desert while the line of rabid undead followed her.

From behind, Jacob began to drop one zed after the other by driving as near as he dared before opening fire on his target. His job was made especially difficult by driving over such rugged terrain while trying to aim and at the same time avoid hitting Bella with any stray bullets.

Bella continued her wild goose chase through the desert focused on the terrain and location of the zeds behind her but not much else. It wasn't until her bike gave a sputtering gasp that she realized she was nearly out of gas. Panicking slightly she turned her head and began wildly searching around for the mesa only to discover that it had faded into the distance.

Although they were strung out over a large distance, she was still being trailed by a number of zeds and Jake was nowhere to be found. Apparently her plan to spread out the zeds had worked a little too well and now she found herself in a precarious situation.

Holding the handlebars steady she reached out and brought the small CB receiver up to her mouth and fought to remain calm as she depressed the small black button. "Little Swan to Wolf, do you read me Wolf? Over."

Her call was met only by silence so she tried again before giving up on Jacob and decided to give calling the pueblo a call. "Mayday. Little Swan to Mother Ship do you read me? Over." Once again she was met only by static. She tried making contact three more times with no success before she gave up and slammed the receiver back down. Either something was disrupting her signal or her radio was broken either way she was effectively on her own for the time being.

Knowing she would never be able to make it back to the mesa on an empty tank, she began scanning the area around her for somewhere to make a stand. Switching gears she sped off as quickly as she was able toward an outcropping of rocks. Her only hope was to put as much distance between herself and the zeds as she was able so that she could prepare for their assault. She hoped she would be able to lose them entirely but more realistically she hoped to be able to hold them off until Jacob found her.

She was almost to the outcropping when her bike gave one last push before it died entirely. As it rolled to a stop she swore loudly and hopped off before letting it crash to the desert floor. Dragging it along with her would only slow her down. Making sure she hadn't dropped anything she set off on foot running as fast as she was able toward the spot in the distance.

Without the dirt bike she realized that what seemed like a short distance was actually much farther than she had originally though. Panting heavily, she made it to the outcropping of rocks just as the first of the zeds came back into view with another few hot on its heels.

Cursing her pathetic running abilities she watched the zed stumble doggedly toward her. Thankfully the theory about them gaining speed was incorrect but they certainly weren't as slow as she had hoped.

"Mother nutter," she swore and threw her head back. "This is not real life I swear, it's not. Was I some kind of psychopathic serial killer in a past life or something 'cause really, this is just unfair," she shouted towards the blue sky overhead. Receiving no answer, she watched the zed's progress for a moment before turning and scrambling up the outcropping.

From up top she might be able to hold them off for at least as long as her ammunition held out but she didn't delude herself into thinking she would last much longer than that. The outcropping wasn't so high that the zeds couldn't get to her and once she was in place there would be almost no chance of escape should they get up there with her. It was a less than ideal position to be in but the barren landscape in her immediate vicinity gave her little choice.

Unwilling to just sit and wait for the fight to begin, Bella began scouring around trying to find anything that could potentially improve her chances of survival but all she came up with was her helmet and a few sizeable rocks. She had fifteen bullets in her magazine but she knew that to take down a zed a perfect headshot was necessary and even though she was good, she wasn't that good especially not with just a handgun.

As the first of the zeds came within firing range Bella held her shot, she didn't want to waste precious ammo unless she was certain she could get a decent shot off. Finally when the zed was about ten feet away from the bottom of the outcropping and Bella could hear the disgusting rasping noise it made she took aim and squeezed the trigger only for the zed to stumble over a crack in the ground and take the bullet in its shoulder instead which didn't deter it at all.

Taking a deep breath, Bella breathed out steadily before once again taking aim and this time catching the zed right in the forehead, the force of the blow knocking it back slightly before it crumpled bonelessly onto the sand.

Unfortunately, the entire event hadn't given the other zeds any pause as they continued to press on toward their quarry. If anything they appeared more riled up than before as they seemed to be picking up speed. By now there were half a dozen zeds approaching and Bella was really beginning to sweat as there was no sign of Jacob at all.

Taking aim once again, Bella tried to remain calm as over and over again she was forced to use her precious bullets as the zeds pressed relentlessly forward. Even with her intense concentration a good number of her shots missed their intended targets. Most of them made contact with body mass but even well placed shots occasionally didn't destroy the brain completely and she was forced to expend another shot to keep her pursuers down.

In an ideal world she would have been able to hit them once from a distance and again from closer range to be certain they wouldn't be getting back up but her world was far from perfect. As zed number six came within range with number seven not far behind it became apparent just how very not perfect her world really was. Her shot grazed the zed's temple ripping away a good deal of its putrid flesh but when she took aim and squeezed the trigger once again a small clicking sound met her ears.

"Oh my god," she whimpered as the zed continued to move unhindered toward her position. Casting her eyes around Bella took in her weapon choices. She had an empty gun, a motorcycle helmet, and a few rocks all good weapons if she had been dealing with a regular human. Hell if she's been dealing with a normal she'd have been able to bludgeon them to death no problem but she wasn't dealing with humans, not anymore. Instead she was stuck facing off with the undead and getting within such close proximity opened up the very real possibility of being bitten.

"Crap, crap, crap," she muttered to herself as she grabbed the rock at her feet. She was out of options but she'd be damned if she was going down without at least putting up one hell of a fight.

Rather than try to do something stupid like throwing her rock at the zed's head, Bella waited for it to try to climb up to her before leaning over and commencing beating it over the head. Deciding very quickly that the rock was too unwieldy and hard to hold onto as her hands became coated in gore, she dropped her weapon and pulled out the empty gun, at least it had a handle she could hold onto.

Bending back down she began hammering away at the zed's head, trying to smash its temple while avoiding its clawing hands and gnashing teeth. As gore splattered everywhere, Bella wondered, not for the first time, if simply ingesting some of the zombie's infected fluids could turn someone. Wishing she had though to don the helmet she continued to swing mercilessly at the zed until she felt its skull give way with a sickening crack and with one last smack its temple burst open releasing decaying brain matter as the zed dropped to the ground.

Bella had no time to celebrate her victory though as the other zed had managed to reach her while she was occupied and was currently clambering over the remains of its brethren as it began climbing up towards her.

This particular zed was especially disturbing. While all of the others had been adults from various walks of life this one had been a young girl, probably about twelve or thirteen when she was bitten. She wore a t-shirt that looked like it had once been bright, happy neon yellow, and on the front were written the words 'Wild Thing' in big bubbly letters colored in with zebra stripes. Her shoes had either been lost or rotted away some time ago but somehow what was left of her hair was still pulled back in a pair of twin French braids.

Bella blanched in horror as the zed climbed unsteadily towards her, a rasping noise coming out of the gaping hole in the girl's throat. "Christ," Bella whispered as the thing continued to climb closer. "If I survive I swear I'm never going to be able to close my eyes ever again."

Trying her best to keep her desire to simultaneously cry and wet her pants in check, Bella wiped her gun off on her pants before grabbing her discarded helmet and shoving it down on her head. It might impede her vision but she wasn't going to take any unnecessary chances with the whole, ingesting zombie juice thing. As soon as the zed reached the top of the out cropping, Bella squared her shoulders and ran full tilt into it like she had watched football players do on television.

Her plan worked, she knocked the zed back down off of the outcropping but what she hadn't taken into consideration was that the football players she had seen had two things going for them that she didn't. One, they had more ground to continue running forward after colliding with an opponent and two, their opponents usually weren't intent on grabbing onto them and eating them. So even though Bella connected with the zed and sent her flying she soon found herself lying face down in the dirt on the bottom of the outcropping with the zed pinned beneath her.

Scrambling backwards, Bella tried to escape from the dead girl's grasp but it was no use, she was caught fast. In the fall she had lost her gun leaving her with nothing which to defend herself. Surging forward, the zed tried to take a bite out of Bella but she managed to hold the girl's head back with her free arm as the zed's teeth snapped precariously close to her exposed flesh.

Not knowing what else to do, Bella brought her jean clad legs up to try to gain some leverage but still the zed beneath her continued to hang on, her skeletal hands nearly piercing the skin on the trapped woman's arm while its teeth snapped madly, eager to rip the skin from her bones.

With a grunt, Bella used all the strength she had to wretch herself free from the zed's grasp and get her feet back under her but once again she misjudged the amount of force necessary and while she did manage to free herself, she also managed to lose her footing entirely. As she stumbled unsteadily backwards, her absence gave the zed time to sit up and began clambering back to its feet.

Now in a blind panic, the brunette did the only thing she could think of and delivered a swift kick to the dead girl's skull. A satisfying crunch met her ears as the zeds nose exploded in a mess of shattered pieces and seeing no other option Bella began kicking out again and again, delivering blow after punishing blow to the zed's skull.

The zed's brain had long been destroyed when Bella finally came back to her senses and stopped stomping on the wet pile of tattered flesh and hair. Realizing what she had done, she jumped back and skittered away, horrified by the carnage surrounding her. It was one thing to kill a nasty old zombie lady with well anything, but kicking a zombie child's head in was just a whole level of wrong that she didn't even want to dive into.

Stumbling away from the mass of carnage surrounding the outcropping where she had made her stand, Bella finally did what she had wanted to do for some time and after vomiting several times she let herself cry. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, she cried for the little girl who would never get to grow up, she cried for the people she had heard begging for help and ultimately dying over the radio, she cried for the people who she had lost, and she cried for herself.

There was nothing about this new world that was fair. If there were then children like Jack would not be living in hiding, terrified of the day when they were ripped from their mother's arms and consumed by the undead. If it were fair then people like her wouldn't be forced to defend themselves and the ones they loved from those blood thirsty monsters knowing someday they wouldn't be enough, someday they would lose.

Another heartbroken sob burst free just as Bella saw a new figure stumble into view. Wiping her nose on the sleeve of her ruined shirt, she clambered unsteadily to her feet, ready to defend herself once again.

"Bella?" a familiar voice called as the figure came closer. "Bella is that you?"

"Ed-Edward," she called back, her voice strangled.

At the sound of her voice, the figure began sprinting towards her. "Oh my god Bella," he said as he skidded to a stop in front of her and surveyed the damage surrounding them. "Fuck. Are you alright? You haven't been bitten have you? Bella, answer me," he demanded seriously. "Have you been bitten?"

She shook her head trying to wipe away some of the evidence of her earlier breakdown. "I- I'm okay. I didn't, they didn't get me," she assured him as he grabbed her arms and pushed up her sleeves checking for any sign of bite marks.

"Your neck," he demanded, "let me see your neck."

Wearily she complied as she stared blankly over his shoulder as Emmett's Jeep rolled into view. "How did you find me?" she asked as he continued checking her over.

He glanced up at her, his green eyes connecting with her brown. "It wasn't hard," he dropped his eyes and resumed checking her over, "we just followed the tracks. When we found your bike a ways back we feared the worst but there was no sign of a struggle just a fuck ton of footprints so we followed them and they led us to you."

Rosalie jumped out of the large Jeep as soon as it came to a halt and wasted no time in punching Bella square in the face, shocking Edward into stunned silence and leaving Bella reeling. "That's for scaring the shit out of me you stupid fucking bitch!" she shouted angrily before she began to cry. "You're so fucking stupid Bella!" she sobbed. "Why would you think taking out a horde of zombies on your own was a good fucking idea huh? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Clutching at her face, Bella struggled to make sense of what was happening while Rosalie continued to berate her between sobs. "I said thirty fucking minutes! Do you know how long it's been?" Bella shook her head. "Yeah well me either but it's been hours! Fucking hours Bella! Not thirty goddamn minutes!"

Suddenly Rosalie surged forward once again and although Edward moved to block her, she ducked around him and wrapped her arms tightly around the bewildered Bella. "Don't ever fucking do that to me again," she wailed burying her head in Bella's dirty brown locks.

Unsure of what to do, Bella simply brought one of her arms up around Rosalie's back and began rubbing soothing circles on the other woman's back while still clutching at her quickly swelling eye. She wasn't really sure how to respond to this sort of breakdown but she had seen this sort of response on television so she decided to go with it.

Apparently deciding that the entire situation was spiraling madly out of control, Edward stepped in and began trying to pry Rosalie off of Bella before she strangled the smaller woman to death. "Come on Rosalie let go," he urged using a tone he might on an unstable mental patient, "that's it," he encouraged, "good, good. Now let's get back in the fucking Jeep before any more of these nasty flesh eating freaks find us."

Once she was free of Rosalie's choke hold Bella managed to take a few steps towards the waiting vehicle before her legs gave out entirely and she collapsed heavily back onto the corpse strewn ground. "Oh fuck," Edward swore under his breath, "what now? Goddamn it Bella. Bella!" he shouted trying to get her to focus on him. "Mother fuck, she's in shock. Shit. Rosalie, goddamn it Rosalie!" he snapped as he hoisted Bella up and swung her into his arms. "Quit your bitching and help me out here would you? Bella is in shock."

Sniffling slightly, Rosalie climbed back down from her seat and shuffled over to help Edward get Bella situated in the back of the car before once again climbing back in herself, this time in the back seat with Bella's head cradled in her lap. Meanwhile, Edward hopped in the driver's side and shifted into drive before peeling out and driving quickly back towards their mesa, their small piece of safety high in the New Mexico sky.


End file.
